Kassák, Lajos

Born Mar. 21, 1887, in Ershekuivar; died July 22, 1967, in Budapest. Hungarian author.

Kassák’s verse in the early 1900’s was influenced by W. Whitman, and it expressed faith in the historical role of the working class (The Workmen, 1915). During World War I, Kassák led the Hungarian vanguardists, and in 1919 he emigrated to Vienna, where he remained until 1927. Although he diverged from communism in his views on revolution and literature, Kassák truthfully described the workers’ life (for example, in his novel Angyalfold, 1929). He also described his own difficult adolescence in his autobiographical novel The Life of One Man (1927–35). His lyrics are imbued with the spirit of democracy and humanism. They include his verse collections The Paupers’ Roses (1949), My Wealth, My Arsenal (1963), and The Oak Leaves (1964). Kassák was awarded the Kossuth State Prize in 1965.