Sándor Csoóri, one of Hungary’s most prominent and outspoken poets, is the author of sixteen books of poetry, six books of essays, two novels, and several film scripts. His poetry spans five decades, with his first book, The Bird Takes Wing published in 1954 and his most recent, Quiet Vertigo, appearing in 2001. In addition to being one of Hungary’s most widely-read writers, his work has been translated into every major European language, with the addition of Chinese and Japanese. Csoóri has also received numerous awards for his poetry, including the Attila József Prize in Poetry, the Hungarian Book of the Year Award (1995), the Károli Gáspár Award, the Hungarian Heritage Award and the prestigious Kossuth Award, Hungary’s highest honor for achievement in artistic or scientific work. He was a major figure in the founding of the Hungarian Democratic Forum and was Chairman of the World Federation of Hungarians from 1991 to 2000. He is a leading proponent for the rights of ethnic Hungarians in other countries.