Listed in Harold Bloom's 'The Western Canon', Jozsef is a major and highly-influential voice in 20th Century Hungarian poetry. This left-wing, schizophrenic poet, who published six books during his brief career, committed suicide at the age of thirty-two by throwing himself under a train. "Everything is old here. The ancient storm / leans on lightning's crooked shoulder / and whistles at the thorn-whiskered rose. / They hobble on bad feet" ('Everything Is Old').

Translated by: Peter Hargitai