The poet, writer and translator was born in 1938. Since his first book in 1965, he has published more than a dozen volumes of poetry, prose and sociography. Ágh is one of the last remaining living representatives of the A Hetek (The Seven) poetry group, which has been hugely influential in the history of Hungarian literature. He has featured in some major anthologies, while he has also published several memorable books of his own, including Keseredik a föld héja (The Earth's Crust Becomes Bitter, 1984), a Napló és tulipán (The Diary and the Tulip, 1987), A képzelet emléke (The Memory of Imagination, 2000), Semmi sem úgy (Nothing Like That, 2003), and Elvarázsolt ének (Enchanted Song, 2017). In his sociographical work, his books Dani uraságnak (To Mr Dani, 1984) and Utolsó terelés az őszi legelőn (The Final Herd on the Autumn Pasture, 1989) were particularly well received. István Ágh's work is rooted in folk and peasant culture, which he integrates with the poetical characteristics of modern lyrical traditions to create a personal, original and highly distinctive poetic world.
There could be no more authentic stage partner to communicate his work than the band Bajdázó, founded by the remarkable poet Zsigmond Mile. The most precise definition of their ambitions and musical world can be found in their own introductory words: 'The scent of a blossoming elderflower bush. A twisting path across a field of poppies. Among the beech trees, a cuckoo sings out from the shade of a church. The snow white bones of expired animals among the fallen leaves. Yonder a mountain, looted, wounded. Ancient faces in the immobile, shimmering water of the spring. A bell tolls in the valley. Then the clouds, the clouds. We're in the right place. Börzsöny, the largest continuous uninhabited region in the country. Which means here you will find the most fairies. Song, guitar, flute, can, cymbal, a carpet of sound. The falling of snow as a musical instrument. Börzsöny music. The music of Börzsöny.'
It would not be overly bold to forecast an uplifting and memorable event.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest