Kazinczy, Ferencz

views updated

Ferencz Kazinczy (fĕ´rĕnts kŏ´zĬntsē), 1759–1831, Hungarian author and critic. The influence of Kazinczy's works made him a leading reformer of the Hungarian language. He was imprisoned (1795–1801) for revolutionary activity. He is known for his didactic verse (e.g., Poetai Berke, 1813), biographies, and Hungarian translations of Shakespeare and major European authors. Kazinczy's voluminous correspondence is of great historical value.