It simply didn't interest Fodor; he didn't think it was for him. What might the secret be for the ever-increasing wave of quotes from Fodor appearing on Facebook, a phenomenon that began in his lifetime and has continued ever since? Maybe it's because there is a huge amount of wisdom, love, humour, irony, philosophy and life experience summed up in his usually short-form poems (most are in haiku form), giving the reader the illusion that they are easily accessible. Yet if you linger over the apparently simple 'bon mots', if you allow yourself the empathy and understanding, the identification of thoughts and emotions, you will surely comprehend that behind each one lies essential and intricate levels of meaning. There is a great deal of personality contained in just a few seemingly impersonal words; the apparently simple surfaces are capable of opening up on to incredible profundities. Because Ákos Fodor withdrew himself from literary life, he never received the confidence or recognition that his work merited. He didn't write for recognition, but because he had to write. From honour, out of respect, as a calling. Someone who ponders 16 words for days on end - a privilege of only the most gifted - surely takes something very seriously. And that something is poetry.

The production's cooperating partner is the Hungarian National Theatre

Presented by: Müpa Budapest