John the Valiant

by Sándor Petőfi · first published 1845

János vitéz ("John the Valiant") is an epic poem written in Hungarian by Sándor Petőfi. It was written in 1844, and is notable for its length, 370 quatrains divided into 27 chapters, and for its wordplay. It is a story of the young shepherd who is forced to leave his home and undergoes adventures as he defeats the villains such as Turks and witches while searching for his true love. Petőfi took large inspiration from Homer's Odyssey.

Summary: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Original language:

Hungarian

Year page:

1845