To better understand a poet, one must learn a litte of his history. His mother raised him in poverty, for a brief time he was sent to a village while she took in wash to make ends meet. Nevertheless, he managed to enter the University but he did not obtain his degree due to difficulties with a professor. Later, he traveled to Vienna and Paris in the mid-1920s and instead obtained a cosmopolitan education abroad where he was exposed to various political systems. As often happens to those born in poverty, he placed his hope in socialism and the Communist Party, but was later expelled ... not unusual for idealists and free thinkers.

This volume of 40 poems includes one of his most famous poems of natural imagery, "Harmatocska". The poet notices the dew in the early morning, when it is still dark, as it lays on a raspberry branch, shimmering, resembling greasy paper. As the poet works in the fields, he sees the mist rise from the mountains and hears the humming in the fields or perhaps he himself is humming. At nightfall, he recognizes the heavens and gazes at the stars ... feeling good, possibly for being one with nature or having achieved his work in the splendor of nature. This poem has been set to music by the Sebo Ensemble (CD available at amazon.com) and has even had a dance to it choreographed by an Hungarian tradiitonal master dance instructor. The dance is taught in the USA at international folk dance camps. This poetry book is most highly recommended. Erika Borsos (bakonyvilla)