Imre Madách de Sztregova et Kelecsény (20 January[1] 1823 â€" 5
October 1864) was a Hungarian aristocrat, writer, poet, lawyer and
politician. His major work is The Tragedy of Man (Az ember
tragédiája, 1861). It is a dramatic poem approximately 4000 lines
long, which elaborates on ideas comparable to Goethe's Faust. The
author was encouraged and advised by János Arany, one of the most
famous of the 19th-century Hungarian poets.He was born in his family
castle in Alsósztregova, the Kingdom of Hungary (today Dolná
Strehová, Slovakia) in 1823 at the heart of a wealthy noble family.
From 1829 Madách studied at the Piarist school of Vác.[2] During a
cholera epidemic he stayed in Buda in 1831. In 1837 he began his
studies at the university of Pest. In 1842 he officially became a
lawyer. In 1860 he finished working on The Tragedy of Man. He died in
Alsósztregova in the Kingdom of Hungary.The dramatic poem The Tragedy
of Man is Madách's major and most enduring piece of writing. The
tragic events of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848/49 in
addition to the deaths of close family members such as his sister and
her husband, captain Karl Balog de Mánko-Bük, and his temporary stay
in prison fueled the emotional status in which he completed his work.
Today it is the central piece of Hungarian theaters' repertoire and is
mandatory reading for students in secondary school. Many lines have
become common quotes in Hungary. Madách, then a country nobleman with
virtually no literary experience, sent the work to the poet Arany who
enthusiastically encouraged him and suggested some emendations to the
text. The piece was at first only published in printed form, not
staged, because the many changes of scene (15 scenes) were hard to
come by through the technical standards of the day.The main characters
are Adam, Eve and Lucifer. The three travel through time to visit
different turning-points in human history and Lucifer tries to
convince Adam that life is (will be) meaningless and mankind is
doomed. Adam and Lucifer are introduced at the beginning of each
scene, with Adam assuming various important historical roles and
Lucifer usually acting as a servant or confidant. Eve enters only
later in each scene. The Tragedy of Man contains fifteen scenes, with
ten historical periods represented.
October 1864) was a Hungarian aristocrat, writer, poet, lawyer and
politician. His major work is The Tragedy of Man (Az ember
tragédiája, 1861). It is a dramatic poem approximately 4000 lines
long, which elaborates on ideas comparable to Goethe's Faust. The
author was encouraged and advised by János Arany, one of the most
famous of the 19th-century Hungarian poets.He was born in his family
castle in Alsósztregova, the Kingdom of Hungary (today Dolná
Strehová, Slovakia) in 1823 at the heart of a wealthy noble family.
From 1829 Madách studied at the Piarist school of Vác.[2] During a
cholera epidemic he stayed in Buda in 1831. In 1837 he began his
studies at the university of Pest. In 1842 he officially became a
lawyer. In 1860 he finished working on The Tragedy of Man. He died in
Alsósztregova in the Kingdom of Hungary.The dramatic poem The Tragedy
of Man is Madách's major and most enduring piece of writing. The
tragic events of the failed Hungarian Revolution of 1848/49 in
addition to the deaths of close family members such as his sister and
her husband, captain Karl Balog de Mánko-Bük, and his temporary stay
in prison fueled the emotional status in which he completed his work.
Today it is the central piece of Hungarian theaters' repertoire and is
mandatory reading for students in secondary school. Many lines have
become common quotes in Hungary. Madách, then a country nobleman with
virtually no literary experience, sent the work to the poet Arany who
enthusiastically encouraged him and suggested some emendations to the
text. The piece was at first only published in printed form, not
staged, because the many changes of scene (15 scenes) were hard to
come by through the technical standards of the day.The main characters
are Adam, Eve and Lucifer. The three travel through time to visit
different turning-points in human history and Lucifer tries to
convince Adam that life is (will be) meaningless and mankind is
doomed. Adam and Lucifer are introduced at the beginning of each
scene, with Adam assuming various important historical roles and
Lucifer usually acting as a servant or confidant. Eve enters only
later in each scene. The Tragedy of Man contains fifteen scenes, with
ten historical periods represented.
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