The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Fáy, Andreas

FÁY, or, Andreas, Hungarian author: b. Kohány, Zemplin, Hungary, 30 May 1786; d. Budapest, 26 July 1864. Till the appearance of Kossuth on the scene (1840) he was the foremost leader at Budapest of the Opposition party; thereafter he took no considerable part in politics, but promoted many important national enterprises. His volume of poems, &lsquo;New Garland&rsquo; (1818), established his fame as a poet, but his admirable prose &lsquo;Fables&rsquo; (1820) attained a far wider popularity. Among his dramatic works are the tragedy, &lsquo;The Two Báthorys&rsquo; (1827); and several comedies, the most notable being &lsquo;The Old Coins; or the Transylvanians in Hungary&rsquo; (1824), and &lsquo;The Hunt in the Matra&rsquo; (1860). His social novel, &lsquo;The House of the Béltekys&rsquo; (1832); &lsquo;Dr. Javor and his Servant Ambrose&rsquo; (1855), and a number of short stories, entitles him to a place among the great masters of Hungarian prose.