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Sándor Petőfi
Hungary's national poet (1823–1849), symbol of the 1848 revolution and author of the National Song.
Sándor Petőfi is the best-loved poet of Hungarian literature. His poems, written in the plain language of the people, transformed Hungarian writing, and he is regarded as Hungary's national poet.
On 15 March 1848 Petőfi's National Song was recited in Pest and became the symbol of the start of the revolution against the Austrian Empire. Today 15 March is a national holiday in Hungary.
Petőfi fought in the war of independence and fell in 1849, most likely at the Battle of Segesvár, aged only 26. His poems have been translated into dozens of languages, including Turkic ones.
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Updated: October 8, 2026