Sáfrán Györgyi: Arany János és Rozvány Erzsébet (A MTAK kiadványai 19. Budapest, 1960)

.JOHN ARANY AND ELISABETH ROZVÁNY From the rank of the Hungarian poets A. Petőfi (1823—1849) achieved a great reputation all over the world and became the most popular of all Hungarian artists. Petőfi was linked by warm friendship to John Arany (1817—1882), who occupies also an eminent position in our literature. Their works are highly esteemed by readers and literary critics of the world. While Petőfi was our greatest lyrical poet, Arany became the most outstanding epical writer. Beside the great poetical tasks, Arany undertook also the ctivities of the secretary at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he most eminent Hungarian scientific institute. Arany had started to develop and foster the cultural relations of the Hungarian Academy with other scientific institutes of the world. Thus in the Archives of the Academy Library we find a number of letters written by Arany in Latin, English, French, German and Italian, all by himself. He also took a good part in the starting of the Library's international exchange relations. This study and the letters here give many unknown details about Arany's youth and start of career. Arany's native town was Nagyszalonta in Bihar county, where Hungarian was spoken in a fine sweet-sounding pronunciation. This study throws light upon the beginning of the poet's career. It shows that Arany, who was of a very low peasantdescent, could rise up to the highest rank of Hungarian translators. This great man interpreted Shakespeare, Byron, Moore, Tasso, Ariosto, Goethe and Burns in Hungarian and gave a complete translation of Aristophanes' works. He was closest to Greek and English dramatists and poets. It was not log ago that Mrs. Popovits (h. Gabriella Rozvány) had offered her memories to our Library. The ninety-eight years old lady is now (1960) living in Temesvár [Rumania]. This lady 177