born Feb. 18, 1825, Komárom, Hung.

died May 5, 1904, Budapest

most important Hungarian novelist of the 19th century. Jókai's collected works (published 1894–98), which did not include his considerable journalistic writing, filled 100 volumes. Early works such as Hétköznapok (1845; “Weekdays”) show the influence of French Romanticism, but his mature novels are more concerned with reality and personal experience. Egy magyar nábob (1853–54; “A Hungarian Nabob”) and Az aranyember (1873; “A Man of Gold”) are among his most important novels dealing with contemporary Hungary.