Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav (1849–1921) is the pseudonym of Pavol Országh, a Slovak poet, playwright, and translator. He was trained as a lawyer, and spent much of his life practicing law. As a poet, Hviezdoslav introduced syllabic-tonic verse into Slovak poetry, and became the poet laureate of the Slovak nation. He is regarded as one of the founders of Slovak realism. During his lifetime Hviezdoslav produced twelve volumes of original poetry, as well as three volumes of translations of classical authors such as Goethe, Shiller, and Shakespeare. His most acclaimed works include the epic Hájnikova žena (The Gamekeeper’s Wife), Ežo Vlkolinský, Gábor Vlkolinský, the cycles of lyrical poems Sonety (Sonnets) and Letorosty (Growth Rings), Prechádzky jarom (Strolls Through Spring) and Prechádzky letom (Strolls Through Summer). Hviezdoslav was also the author of the play Herodes a Herodias (Herod and Herodias) and of Krvavé sonety (The Bloody Sonnets), a cycle of poems written in response to World War I.