Poet, Politician. He was a 19th century Hungarian poet and folktale collector, whose most significant piece is the 1873 poetic-novel "The Hero of Mirages." He led the nation's authors to write with realistic style. He is considered in the literary world as a member of the "despair generation" of the 1870s and 1880s. Born the son of Janos Arany, a nationally respected author of the "Toldi Trilogy," his life began during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, one of the most difficult periods in Hungarian history. With some of the most learned men in Hungary taking refuge in his parents' home during the war, he learned mathematics, history, folklore, and literature from the masters. He learned about taking a passive role in politics, yet as an adult, he became politically active. His only sibling was a sister, Julianna, who died at age 24 from childbirth complications. Along with his mother and sister, he collected folklore stories, which were published as "Eredeti népmeses" in 1862. Like his father, he was a member of the Kisfaludy Society, a literary group. He submitted anonymously "The Hero of Mirages" to the 1874 Kisfaludy Society competition, with the poem taking first place. The main character of his poem was Balázs Hübele, an orphan who inherits a fortune and as a soldier, dies in war. His poem, "The Hero of Mirages," was adapted to a 1976 Hungarian film of the same name. Besides the award-winning "The Hero of Mirages," he authored the 1868 award-winning "Elfrida" and "The Battle of the Huns" in 1874. By 1872, he was a member of the Academy of Science. Politically, he served from 1887 to 1896 as a member of the National Assembly of Hungary. After his father's death, he managed his father's papers, placing them in various museums, including the Arany János Memorial Museum in Romania. He had some of his father's papers published. He married Gizella Szalay and the couple were childless. After his death, she remarried. His widow and her second husband published a biography on his father. Most of the family's original papers were destroyed in January of 1945 during World War II when the family's villa was bombed. He is buried with his parents.