Biography Essay

In his poetry Attila Jozsef attempted to reach a synthesis of the most important intellectual, ideological, and lyrical aspirations of his era. Influenced early in his career by the revolutionary vision and symbolist techniques of Endre Ady, the preeminent poet of the first decades of the twentieth century, Jozsef emerged as the most prominent voice within Hungarian poetry during the period between the two world wars. Experimenting with a wide variety of poetic styles ranging from expressionism to surrealism, Jozsef combined a distinct sensitivity and vivid imagination with a passionate commitment to the ideals of human dignity and social justice. Jozsef published his first poems at age seventeen in the prestigious literary journal Nyugat (The West) and remained a productive and innovative poet despite his intense personal anguish and the gradual deterioration of his mental stability. His popularity continued to increase following his death. His poetry...