''You must learn what the poet is...''

The Museum of Literature Petőfi was named after the poet Sándor Petőfi (1823–1849), whose name was synonymous with poet and is the most important representative of Hungarian literature in the classical world of literature headed by the name of Goethe.

Sándor Petőfi was a son of ‘poor parents’ – this was how he described himself in the autobiography which was to be an introduction to the German language publication of his works. His father was a butcher. Sándor was born at Kiskőrös, a small town in the middle of the Hungarian Plain. For him it was this landscape, the Hungarian steppe, ‘the Plain’, that had such an impression on him in his childhood: a landscape which inspired him to experience freedom, independence and life free from limitations.

 In the first exhibition room, the white walls remind us of village houses and mansions. We can see a romantic’s attempts at self-realisation, his failing military carrier, and objects from his life as an actor. During this time, he was writing his poems and caused a real revolution in lyricism. His poems echoed the rhythm of Hungarian folk songs, immediately becoming part of folklore, broke the Feudal monopoly of culture, and forecast the same for politics. Every rank and file conservative-minded man of letters plotted against him, and in 1845–1846 Petőfi went through a period of Byronic hatred of man and the world of the Romantics.

 In the second room of the exhibition are the social and topographical media in which, after 1846, Petőfi undisputedly became a leading personality. On his 24th birthday he finished the manuscripts of all the poems he had written up to that point: the volume was an unprecedented success. In the second quarter of the 19th century, the Age of Reform, the cultural institution of civic Hungary, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the National Theatre were established and  periodicals requiring many works, both of poetry and prose, flourished. All of these establishments were connected with Budapest – which was at that time three autonomous cities – situated on the banks of the River Danube. The three cities were first united in 1848. Budapest became the fastest developing city of the 19th century. To meet the new demands of readers, authors and publicist, who made a living by the pen, replaced the man of literature living in the countryside in his mansion, for whom writing was purely a leisure activity. The young among them formed a group around Petőfi, who was the first Hungarian poet to earn a living and support himself solely by his poems. Following the example of Giovine Italia and Junges Deutschland they organised the interest protection of writers, and after studying the French Revolution the organisation made their aim a thorough transformation of Hungary, even if it took a revolution. We can see their characters, become acquainted with their works and even visit their favourite meeting place, the Pilvax coffee house.

 Petőfi’s marriage also demonstrates a reaction against convention: he married his love after a year-long fight for her. His revolution of lyricism also extended to family life, and he has given us some of the most beautiful pieces of matrimonial poetry. Their home – into which we also get an insight – was the result of his hard work as a poet. It was no more than the interior a petit bourgeois would create in his home. The walls were hung with portraits of the leaders of the French Revolution, reminding the poet of his missions.

 A central theme in Petőfi’s great visionary poems was the worldwide struggle for freedom. Once achieved – including the inevitable victims – mankind will be ready to live in an age of ‘universal happiness’. On 15th March 1848 Hungary also found its way onto the map of European revolutions. Petőfi had arrived: his National Song [Nemzeti dal] became the song of the revolution march.

 Our third room shows that important event: the Hungarian bourgeois revolution. Here we can see the contradictions highlighting the fact that Petőfi’s Republican attitude came too soon for a people who had lived in a kingdom for 850 years. The Hungarian revolution was the longest fight in Europe. In August 1849 it was only the combined forces of the two great powers of the continent, the Austrian Emperor and the Russian Tsar, that were able to defeat it. Petőfi also turned his words into deeds: he served as an officer during the War of Independence.  First as a captain and later as a major. His military documents and sword are reminders of this. He did not live to see the day of surrender: on 31st July 1849 he went missing near Shigişhoara (Shegeshvar/Schassburg) while fleeing after a lost battle. Relics of the final stage of his life, the last painting featuring him, and objects he used during the struggle are exhibited here. The Hungarian people expected to see something like a fairytale miracle: the reappearance and return home of their favourite poet.

 If you have enjoyed our memorial exhibition, you can read Petőfi’s poems in your own language upon your return home. These can be found in large libraries: his poems have been translated into more than 50 languages, which include all the major languages of the world.

 The producers and organisers would like to thank you for visiting the exhibition.

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