Background
István Gyöngyösi was born on the 25th of August, 1629 in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, into a poor but noble parents.
István Gyöngyösi was born on the 25th of August, 1629 in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, into a poor but noble parents.
István Gyöngyösi's early abilities attracted the notice of Count Ferenc Wesselényi, who in 1640 appointed him to a post of confidence in Fülek castle. In 1681 he was elected as a representative of his county at the diet held at Sopron (Ödenburg). From 1686 to 1693, and again from 1700 to his death in 1704, he was deputy lord-lieutenant of the county of Gömör.
In contrast with Zrínyi's rough technique and concise performing, Gyöngyösi always wrote in mild and elaborated style with perfect rhymes, but had little sense for composition. During the 18th century, Gyöngyösi was the most popular author in Hungary. He was called the "Hungarian Ovid".
Of his literary works the most famous is the epic poem Murányi Venus (Kassa, 1664), in honour of his benefactor's wife Mária Szécsi, the heroine of Murany. Among his later productions the best known are Rózsa-Koszorú, or Rose-Wreath (1690), Porábúl meg-éledett Phoenix or Kemeny-Linos (1693), Csalárd Cupido (1695 - transcript from Ovid's Metamorphoses), Palinodia (1695) and Chariklia (1700 - verse transcript of Heliodorus' Aethiopica).