Poet. He was a prolific Hungarian poet of the 20th century, whose works include "Szepseg Koldusa" in 1922, "Nem en Kialtok" in 1925, and "Nincsen Apam se Anyam" in 1929. Sources state he published over 600 poems. Born in the poorest district of Budapest, he was abandoned at age three by his father, placed in foster care until age seven and when he was fourteen, his mother, a washwoman, died at Christmas time. While in foster care, his given name was changed to Pista, the diminutive of István. He wrote his major poems as a teenager, yet these poems received recognition only after his death. Including World War I, Hungary was a war-torn nation most of his teenage years. He studied for two terms at Budapest University. He learned to read and was able to write French and German. Politically, he was a supporter of Marxist and was a member of the underground Communist Party. According to his 1937 autobiography, he was admitted to a mental hospital for the diagnosis of depression. He attempted twice to begin a career in journalism but failed. His poems were semi-autobiographical with one, "With a pure heart," mentioning "Without father without mother….for the third day - without fussing I have eaten next to nothing." He was expelled from a university for publishing "With a Pure Heart." Known to have bouts of mental illness, he committed suicide by throwing himself under a train at the railway station at Szárszó. Originally, he was buried in the cemetery at Szárszó, but later reinterred at the National Cemetery in Budapest, where he shares a marker with five other family members. A cenotaph marker remains at the original burial site. A museum was established at the poet's sister home in Szárszó, as the poet lived here in the autumn of 1937. Another museum was opened at his birth place in Budapest. Several of his poetry collections have been translated into English, including "The Iron-Blue Vault: Selected Poems" in 2000 and "Winter Night: Selected Poems of Attila József in 1997. He has been the subject of several sculptors with statues throughout Hungary. Most recognized is the statue of him sitting on a step with a hat in his hand, which is located outside the Parliament building in Budapest. Other statues include the one of him leaning against a wall in Miskolc; one of him standing with his hands in his pockets in Szeged; another in a park in Budapest; and a full statue in Mako.