Count Gideon Radai ( Hungarian Ráday Gedeon ; October 1, 1713 , village of near Sechen - August 6, 1792 , Pecel ) - Hungarian poet and statesman.
Biography
He received an excellent education at the Lutheran Lyceum in Pozhon (now Bratislava ). Later in 1731-1733 he studied law and theology at the universities of Berlin and Frankfurt on the Oder. Returning to his homeland in Hungary, he settled in Petsel.
He represented the interests of the Pecel community in Pest , was the headman of the local Hungarian Reformed Church. Refused any titles and privileges.
He was a bibliophile , and devoted his life to collecting a family library. His library contained the classic works of the best authors in all fields of science, as well as the largest collection of literature of the French Enlightenment in Hungary.
Gideon Radai participated in the literary life of Hungary.
He was the first to introduce size and rhyme into Hungarian poetry, modeled on Western literatures, and successfully use them in his poems in Hungarian.
Little has survived from his poetic heritage to the present day, except for 42 poems published by him, but his role in the Hungarian literary life was more important than his own works.
Gideon Radai is a philanthropist who provided assistance and financial support to Hungarian writers and poets. He financed several periodicals, including in the field of theatrical art. With his help, he inspired and helped talented authors of a new generation. Young people called him "the father of Hungarian writers . "
Source
- Rejoice, Gideon // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.