John Veres

* February 28, 1930, Tornalja – † August 5, 1999, Rimaszombat / poet, writer, translator, local historian. ; ; János Veres, writer, translator, local historian, original full name Zoltán János Vörös, was born in Tornalján on February 28, 1930, and died in Rimaszombat on August 5, 1999. He finished primary school in Tornalján, then from 1940 he studied at the Takács Menyhért High School of the Premontrean Canons in Jászóvár, where he lived in the seminary. After moving with his parents to Rimaszombat at the age of 11, he continued his studies at the local United Protestant High School. When he started the fifth grade, the school was closed due to the war, so he only obtained his certificate from the first four grades. Already as a student, he was involved in writing poetry. In 1949, he contracted lung disease, so he could not take the high school leaving exam, and later graduated as a private student. He was taken to the High Tatras for medical treatment. He met Zoltán Fábry, who discovered his poetic talent. He continued his studies in the sanatorium, reading a lot. He became able to work in 1957. He started working as a clerk at the Rimaszombat hospital, then moved to Új Szó, where he worked as an outside reporter. In 1962, he founded the Tompa Mihály Club in Rimaszombat, and then founded and led the Fáklya Literary Stage for years together with Zoltán Mács and Júlia Horváth. From 1966 to 1970, he worked as a professional speaker and folk educator at the District Cultural Center in Rimaszombat. He was also a member of the Hungarian Writers' Association of Slovakia, and in 1968-69 he was a member of the Csemadok district presidency and the secretary of the folk culture committee. He stood up for the rights of the Hungarians in Gömör, and was deported for this. In 1970 he became seriously ill, and after his hospital treatment he was declared a disabled pensioner. The authorities did not allow him to publish, but after 1989 he was rehabilitated by the Rimaszombat District Office. His poems and translations were published in the journal Palócföld in Salgótarján. He was friends with Ján Smrek, and he translated the works of many Slovak writers and poets into Hungarian. In his parental home on Vasút Street, the family and the Csemadok of Tornalja and the Csemadok of Nagyrőce Regional Committee placed a memorial plaque in 2005.