Dániel Varró was born in Budapest on 11 September 1977 and wrote his first poems at the age of 12. He later went on to graduate from his native city’s Eötvös Lóránd University with a degree in Hungarian and English. He has had his poems and literary translations published in periodicals and literary journals from a young age. Mug of Azure, the first of several volumes dedicated solely to his work, came out in 1999 and was followed by his fairy tale novel in verse Beyond the Smudgy Mountain, Andy Muhi and the Empire of Blotches in 2003 and Heart-Dessert in 2007. The birth of his child inspired the fourth such release, He whose foot is size six, and its continuation, He who has his tooth out in 2011. In 2016, he published yet another volume of his own works for adults: Where Did Everything Go? The spring of 2018 saw the launch of his unique diary of fatherhood that graced the pages of the journal Women’s Magazine for seven years: Someone Who Is Beautifully Silly. His most recent volume, The Thirsty Troll, a collection of fairy-tale poetry inspired by Scandinavian and Celtic sources, came out in August of 2018.
Hungarian theatre-goers are already familiar with his work, as he has been credited as a dramatist and literary translator in numerous productions for the stage presented in Budapest and elsewhere around the country. He has been a member of the Attila József Circle (JAK) since 1999, of the Society of Hungarian Authors since 2005, and of the National Association of Hungarian Artists since 2008. A master of both structure and parody, he has displayed his talent to the Hungarian audience in numerous genres, including in the form of poetry, children’s verse and literary translations. His work gives 21st-century Hungary literature an inimitable style and sense of freshness and modernity.
He has received many recognitions over the course of his career, including the Merítés Literary Prize (from both the jury and the audience), the Theatre Critics’ Award (for best new Hungarian drama 2008/09), the Attila József and Gundel artistic awards, and the Gold Cross of Merit of the Republic of Hungary.
