The British Ambassador is reading a poem on Hungary’s National Poetry Day-Video

Iain Lindsay, British Ambassador to Hungary, surprised the world on 11 April, which is the National Poetry Day in Hungary, by reading one of Attila József’s poems, mno.hu writes.

Hungary celebrates the National Poetry day on 11 April since 1964. The date is important, because it’s the birthday of Attila József, one of the best Hungarian poets in the 20^th century. The day is celebrated all around the country, and several events are organized to commemorate the poet’s achievements. Many reading circles invite poets and students to recite the poems, and several other poets’ works are also introduced.

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Attila József is one of the most significant figures of Hungarian literature; he not only wrote poems, but was well acquainted with several foreign languages such as French and German, and his Villon translations are also remarkable. József had a short and tragic life; during his 32 years he often suffered atrocities, he was expelled from university because of one of his poems, he suffered from depression, and was also unfortunate in love. These and several other factors lead to a nervous breakdown, and later to his death; it’s still unclear if he committed suicide or died in a tragic accident.

Iain Lindsay is reading the poet’s “Tavasz van! Gyönyörű” (It’s spring! Beautiful!) in Hungarian in the video, which you can watch here:

Also, deputy ambassador Theresa Bubbear read another Attila József poem last year. Here’s the video.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons Andrew69.

Videos: Youtube/UK in Hungary and Youtube/Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Copy editor: bm

Source: mno.hu