Ferenc Kölcsey (archaically English: Francis Kolcsey, 8 August 1790 in
Sződemeter – 24 August 1838) was a
Hungarian poet, literary critic, orator, and politician, noted for his support of the
liberal current in
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
regarding the politics involving the
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...
. He wrote ''
Himnusz
"" (; "Hymn" or "Anthem") is the national anthem of Hungary. The lyrics were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet, in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel in 1844 ...
'', the national anthem of Hungary in 1823.
Biography
Kölcsey was born in
Sződemeter,
Hungary
Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
(now
Săuca,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
). He was
orphan
An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died.
In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...
ed at an early age and handicapped by the loss of an eye to
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
. At age fifteen, he made the acquaintance of
Ferenc Kazinczy
Ferenc Kazinczy (in older English: Francis Kazinczy, October 27, 1759 – August 23, 1831) was a Hungarian author, poet, translator, neologist, an agent in the regeneration of the Hungarian language and literature at the turn of the 19th cent ...
and adopted his linguistic reforms. In 1809 Kölcsey went to
Pest and became a
notary
A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems.
A notary, while a legal professional, is disti ...
to the
Royal
Royal may refer to:
People
* Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name
* A member of a royal family
Places United States
* Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Royal, Illinois, a village
* Royal, Iowa, a ...
board. He was disenchanted with the office, and, while in
Szatmárcseke
Szatmárcseke is a village in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.
Geography
It lies at a distance of 94 km from Nyíregyháza, 29 km from Vásárosnamény, 17 km from Fehérgya ...
, he devoted his time to aesthetical study,
poetry
Poetry (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...
, criticism, and the defense of Kazinczy's theories.
Kölcsey's early metrical pieces contributed to the ''Transylvanian Museum'' did not attract much attention, while his severe criticisms of
Mihály Csokonai Vitéz
Mihály () is a Hungarian masculine given name, It is a cognate of the English Michael and may refer to:
* Mihály András (1917–1993), Hungarian cellist, composer, and academic teacher
* Mihály Apafi (1632–1690), Hungarian Prince of Transyl ...
,
János Kis
János Kis (born 17 September 1943) is a Hungarian philosopher and political scientist, who served as the inaugural leader of the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) from 1990 to 1991. He is considered to be the first Leader Hungarian p ...
, and especially
Dániel Berzsenyi, published in 1817, rendered him very unpopular. From 1821 to 1826 he published many separate poems of great beauty in the ''Aurora, Hebe, Aspasia'', and other magazines of polite
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to includ ...
. He joined
Pál Szemere in a new periodical, styled ''Élet és Literatúra'' (''Life and Literature''), which appeared from 1826 to 1829, in 4 vols., and gained for Kölcsey the highest reputation as a critical writer.
From 1832 to 1835 he sat in the
Hungarian Diet
The Diet of Hungary or originally: Parlamentum Publicum / Parlamentum Generale ( hu, Országgyűlés) became the supreme legislative institution in the medieval kingdom of Hungary from the 1290s, and in its successor states, Royal Hungary and ...
, where his extreme
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and ...
views and his eloquence soon rendered him famous as a
parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...
ary leader. Elected on 17 November 1830 a member of the
Hungarian Academy of Sciences
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its ma ...
, he took part in its first grand meeting; in 1832, he delivered his famous oration on Kazinczy, and in 1836 that on his former opponent Dániel Berzsenyi. In 1838, when the opposition leader
Miklós Wesselényi was thrown into prison upon a disputed charge of
treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
, Kölcsey conducted his defense with noted eloquence, but without success. He died about a week afterwards at Szatmárcseke, from internal inflammation.
Kölcsey's strong moral sense and deep devotion to his country are reflected in his poems, his often severe but masterly literary criticism, and his funeral orations and parliamentary speeches. His collected works, in 6 volumes, were published at Pest, 1840–1848, and his journal of the Diet of 1832–1836 appeared in 1848. The first collected edition of all his works appeared in 1886–87.
A
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
erected to the memory of Kölcsey was unveiled at
Szatmárnémeti on 25 September 1864. His poem ''
Himnusz
"" (; "Hymn" or "Anthem") is the national anthem of Hungary. The lyrics were written by Ferenc Kölcsey, a nationally renowned poet, in 1823, and its currently official musical setting was composed by the romantic composer Ferenc Erkel in 1844 ...
'' (1823), evoking the glory of Hungary's past, became the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...
of Hungary.
Personal life
Kölcsey never married and had no documented relationships; based on some of the intimate letters Kölcsey wrote to his male contemporaries,
literary historian
The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry that attempt to provide entertainment, enlightenment, or instruction to the reader/listener/observer, as well as the development of the literary techniques ...
Krisztián Nyáry theorised that Kölcsey may have been
homosexual
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to p ...
.
Famous works
* ''Vanitatum Vanitas'' 1823.
* ''Himnusz'' 1823. The national anthem of Hungary
* ''Huszt'' 1831. Epigram
Honors
* Ferenc Kölcsey stamp were issued by Hungary on 5 May 1937.
* On 3 August 1990 another postage stamp was issued.
[colnect.com/en/stamps/list/country/6955-Hungary/year/1990/page/5]
References
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koelcsey, Ferenc
Hungarian essayists
Male essayists
Hungarian literary critics
Hungarian politicians
National anthem writers
People from Satu Mare County
Hungarian Calvinist and Reformed Christians
1790 births
1838 deaths
Hungarian male poets
19th-century Hungarian poets
19th-century Hungarian male writers
19th-century essayists