b. Mar. 2, 1817, d. Oct. 22, 1882, was Hungary's greatest epic poet and, with Sandor PETOFI, the creator of a realistic poetry based on Hungarian folk traditions. He produced literary treatises of lasting value, landmark translations of Shakespeare and Aristophanes, and ballads unsurpassed in Hungarian literature.

His Toldi trilogy--Toldi (1847), Toldi szerelme (Toldi's Love, 1848-79), and Toldi esteje (1854; Toldi's Evening, 1914)--an epic tracing the life of the 14th-century Hungarian hero, remains the best narrative poem in Hungarian literature. It is distinguished by penetrating characterization, a striking use of mythology and chivalry, and vivid diction.