Kelemen Mikes (1690–1761) was a

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

n-born Hungarian political figure and essayist, noted for his rebellious activities against the Habsburg monarchy. Mikes is referred to as the "Hungarian

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

", made famous by his '' Letters from Turkey''. With these, Mikes laid the foundations of Hungarian literary prose, Lóránt Czigány: ''A History of Hungarian Literature: From the Earliest Times to the mid-1970s'', Clarendon Press, 198

/ref> and he is regarded as one of the first Hungarian prose authors. He was born in Zagon, Zágon and grew up in Zabola (present-day

Covasna County Covasna County (, hu, Kovászna megye, ) is a county ( județ) of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Sfântu Gheorghe. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 210,177, making it the second least populous of Romania ...

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 fought the Habsburg until being forced to flee to the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

and eventually the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. While in

Tekirdağ Tekirdağ (; see also its other names) is a city in Turkey. It is located on the north coast of the Sea of Marmara, in the region of East Thrace. In 2019 the city's population was 204,001. Tekirdağ town is a commercial centre with a harbour ...

, where he lived in exile with the Transylvanian Prince

Ferenc Rákóczi Ferenc () is a given name of Hungarian origin. It is a cognate of Francis, Francisco, Francesco, François, Frank and Franz. People with the name include: * Ferenc Batthyány, Hungarian magnate and general * Ferenc Berényi, Hungarian artist ...

, Mikes completed and published his essays. After Rákóczi's death in 1735, he stayed in exile until his own death.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikes, Kelemen Hungarian essayists Male essayists Hungarian male writers People from Covasna County 1690 births 1761 deaths Hungarian letter writers Kelemen