Sandor Csoori, 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 book, 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, as well as Japanese and Chinese. Csoori has also received numerous awards for his poetry, including the Attila Jozsef Prize in Poetry; The Hungarian Book of the Year Award (1995); the Karoli Gaspar Award; the Hungarian Heritage Award; and the prestigious Kossuth Award, Hungary's greatest 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 1991-2000. He remains a leader concerning the rights of ethnic Hungarians in other countries.

Len Roberts is the translator of two chapbooks and one previous full-length volume of Sandor Csoori's poetry, as well as the author of eight books of his own poetry. The Silent Singer: New and Selected Poems (University of Illinois Press, 2001) is his most recent book. He has received a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for his translation work. His fourth book of poems, Black Wings, was selected for the National Poetry Series. His poems and translations have appeared in the American Poetry Review, Poetry, Paris Review, and Partisan Review, among others, and in ahthologies such as the Vintage Book of Contemporary World Poetry and In Quest of the Miracle Song.