Erno Szép

Erno Szép was born to a poor family in Huszt, present-day Ukraine. He began writing poetry at an early age and worked as a journalist, first in Debrecen, then in Budapest, embracing the Hungarian language and culture. Szép’s poetry was influenced by French symbolists. His plays continue to be performed in Hungary. His The Smell of Humans: A Memoir of the Holocaust in Hungary describes his own experiences as a Jew under the fascist regime in Hungary. Under the ensuing communist regime, Szép was marginalized and died in poverty.