János Vajda

Vajda, János 

Born May 8, 1827, in Budapest; died there on Jan 17, 1897. Hungarian poet.

Vajda’s father was a forest warden. Vajda participated in the social and literary movement called March Youth, which was led by S. Petőfi. He was an officer of the Hungarian Republican Army in the Revolution of 1848. After the defeat of the revolution he was demoted to the rank of soldier in the Austrian Army. In his poems and journalistic works Vajda satirically portrayed the bourgeoisie and the nobility (Lusitanian Song, 1869, and Jubilate!, 1885). At the same time Vajda did not perceive the new revolutionary social forces. Thus, in addition to accusations and appeals to remain loyal to the ideals of freedom (the poems The Vigilant Ones, 1855), his lyric poetry expressed themes of doom (the poems The Comet, 1882; Loneliness, 1883).

WORKS

Összes versei. Budapest, 1967. In Russian translation: Antologiia vengerskoi poezii. Moscow, 1952. Pages 270-79.

REFERENCES

Komlos, A. Vajda János. Budapest, 1956.

O. K. ROSSIIANOV