Madách, Imré

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Imré Madách (Ĭm´rĕ mŏ´däch), 1823–64, Hungarian poet and dramatist. Madách is best known for his dramatic epic, The Tragedy of Man (1861, tr. 1908), which relates the history of mankind in somber, philosophical terms. Influenced by Goethe's Faust, it reveals Madách's profound pessimism. An adapted version is frequently performed in Hungarian theaters.