The Village Notary

A falu jegyzője (1845; The Village Notary, 1850) bitterly satirized old Hungary, and a historical novel about the 16th-century Hungarian peasant rebellion, Magyarország 1514-ben (1847; “Hungary in 1514”) mobilized public opinion against serfdom.

…Hungarian literature—A falu jegyzője (1845; The Village Notary), a portrait of feudal life in his own time, and Magyarország 1514-ben (1847; “Hungary in 1514”), about György Dózsa’s peasants’ revolt. They possessed exceptional qualities of characterization, both of individuals and of periods, and were political manifestos in support of the oppressed…