Petőfi, Sándor

Petőfi, Sándor shänˈdôr pĕˈtöfē [key], 1823–49, Hungarian poet and patriot. A failure as an actor, Petőfi became the author of exquisite lyrics. He composed the national poem “Talpra Magyar” (1848), and several epics, including Janos Vitez (1845, tr. 1866). His poetry served as inspiration to the patriots of the Hungarian revolution, in which he was killed.

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