Description
Mór Jókai, born on 18 February 1825 in Komárom, was one of the greatest figures in Hungarian literature. An extraordinarily successful author, Jókai published in a wide range of genres (including poetry, novels, short stories, plays and newspaper articles). His political and social activities were also significant. He became acquainted with Petőfi during his school years. As one of the ‘youths of March’, he played a key role in the revolution and Hungary’s 1848-1849 war of independence. He was active in politics for many decades as a delegate to the national assembly and later as a member of the House of Magnates. He was a member of the Kisfaludy Társaság literary society from 1860 and the board of directors of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1892. His work won innumerable awards. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences was also founded in 1825, the same year as Jókai’s birth. During his 79 years, his career as a writer was accompanied by massive changes in culture, technology and science. In part, his popularity was due to the fact that the exciting storylines in his novels incorporated the latest innovations and scientific developments and in many cases accurately reflected the cutting-edge knowledge of his day and age. In his works of fiction and non-fiction, he also drew extensively on Hungary’s thousand-year history, making it accessible to the masses. Celebrating his 50th anniversary as an author, a special edition of his collected works spanning an exceptionally wide range of subjects and genres was published by the Révai Brother’s publishing house. This 100-volume ‘national edition’ came to symbolise Jókai’s literary work and legacy.
