author
János Kriza
1811–1875
A poet, folklorist, and Unitarian church leader from Transylvania, he is best remembered for helping preserve Hungarian and Székely folk traditions. His work brought oral storytelling and song into literary life, giving later readers a rich record of the region’s culture.
1 Audiobook
Székelyföldi gyüjtés; Magyar népköltési gyüjtemény 3. kötet
by János Kriza, Elek Benedek, Balázs Orbán, Jób Sebesi
About the author
Born in Nagyajta in 1811, János Kriza became an important figure in 19th-century Hungarian literary and cultural life in Transylvania. He studied in Kolozsvár and later spent time in Berlin, experiences that helped shape his interest in language, literature, and the value of folk tradition.
Kriza worked as a Unitarian minister and eventually became a bishop, while also writing poetry and translations. Alongside his church work, he devoted major effort to collecting folk poetry and tales, and he is especially associated with preserving Székely oral tradition.
He died in Kolozsvár in 1875. Today he is remembered not only as a writer and churchman, but as one of the people who helped save a living body of folk culture for future generations.