Ádám Nádasdy

Ádám Nádasdy (15 February 1947 – 29 March 2026) was a Hungarian linguist, teacher, poet, translator and essayist.

Nádasdy taught linguistics at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University between 1972 and 2018, achieving the rank of professor in 2012. He is considered one of the most prominent Hungarian translators of Shakespeare, and he also gained recognition for his translation of Dante's Divine Comedy.

Early life and education Ádám Nádasdy was born in Budapest on 15 February 1947, into a relatively wealthy middle-class family. Of Danube Swabian ancestry, his father, Kálmán Nádasdy, was a prominent director of opera, theatre and film. His mother, opera singer was born in Prague and had Austrian, Dalmatian and Danube Swabian heritage.

During his early years, the family owned two apartments in a building in Budapest, and he lived there with his parents, maternal grandparents and half-brothers. He went to Hungarian-language schools growing up, and he credited musical influences as a key factor in his enthusiasm for linguistics. After high school, he studied English and Italian at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), obtaining a teacher's degree in 1970. While studying at university, he performed as a vocalist and pianist in a beat band.

Academic career Education In 1972, Nádasdy took up a position as an assistant lecturer at the Department of English Language and Literature of the ELTE Faculty of Humanities, subsequently becoming a lecturer in 1978 and associate professor in 1995. In 2017, he was awarded a professor emeritus degree, He described himself as an adherent of post-generative phonology. He was also interested in Yiddish philology.

Literary work Poetry and essays Nádasdy produced his literary work only in Hungarian, noting that he never considered writing in English because he found Hungarian "far more exciting." His Hungarian translation of the Divine Comedy by Dante was published in 2016.

Personal life and death Besides Hungarian, Nádasdy spoke English, German, Italian and French.

In 2019, he entered into a same-sex marriage with surgeon Márk Patczai. He was previously married to academic Zsuzsa Tóth, with whom he has two daughters.

In a statement Eötvös Loránd University said that Nádasdy was "a prolific poet and essayist, known for his clarity of thought, gentle irony, and profound humanism. As a literary translator, he achieved exceptional acclaim. His renderings of Shakespeare – and, most recently, Dante – offered fresh, resonant voices to classical texts, opening them to a broad and appreciative readership." Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design wrote, "His lectures did more than impart knowledge – they opened up a way of thinking that revealed both the freedom and the responsibility inherent in language, culture, and human relationships." The Daily Telegraph wrote an obituary calling him "Hungary’s most accomplished translator" and "leading anti-Orbán intellectual." They further wrote, "Nádasdy was one of Hungary’s most accomplished translators, producing celebrated modern Hungarian versions of Shakespeare and Dante. His translations were prized for their balance between fidelity and vitality, bringing canonical texts into a contemporary idiom without sacrificing their depth." Numerous poets, linguists, and professors also paid tribute to Nádasdy including András Gerevich, Peter Sherwood, George Szirtes, Eszter Tarsoly, Christopher Whyte, , , , and .

Awards and honours 1990: 1993: for his poem Mezőtúr 2000: 2005: for "his poetry and bold-spirited literary translation work" 2020: 2020: for his poetry volume Jól láthatóan lógok itt