Yokai - Yokai (English)

Hungarian novelist. An outstanding writer of Romantic literature. Born to a local aristocratic family, he studied law, but published his first work at the age of 20, which attracted attention and led him to pursue a literary career. He became friends with Petofi during his student days, and participated with him in the Budapest uprising of 1848, but during the subsequent War of Independence he opposed radicalism and supported a peaceful solution. He later published works on the subject of the War of Independence, such as Sons of the Simple (1869) and The Earth Moves (1872), and was the most active period in his creative endeavors. He also edited the newspaper Fatherland, expressed his political views, and was elected to parliament. His works are based on Romanticism, but there is also a development of popular realism. He also wrote other works in a variety of genres, including historical novels such as "The Black Diamond" (1870) and "The Hungarian Rich Man" (1853-54), which depicts the social climate of the early 19th century, and social novels.He was a prolific writer, writing more than 100 novels in total.

[Etsuko Iwasaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

ハンガリーの小説家。ロマン主義文学の傑出した作家。地方貴族の出で、法律を学んだが、20歳で最初の作品を発表して注目され、文学の道に進んだ。学生時代からペテーフィと親交を結び、1848年のブダペストの市民蜂起(ほうき)の際、ペテーフィとともに参加したが、その後の独立戦争においては、急進性に反対し、平和的解決を支持した。のちに、独立戦争に題材をとった『朴念人(ぼくねんじん)の息子たち』（1869）や『それでも地球は動く』（1872）などを発表し、この時期にもっとも活発な創作活動を行った。また新聞『祖国』を編集して、政治的見解を披瀝(ひれき)し、国会議員に選出された。作品はロマン主義が基調であるが、民衆的リアリズムの発展もみられる。ほかに『黒いダイヤモンド』（1870）、19世紀初めごろの世相を描いた『ハンガリーの大尽』（1853～54）といった歴史小説、社会小説などさまざまなジャンルにわたっており、しかも、100編以上を書くといった多作な作家であった。

［岩崎悦子］

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