Works | Bakos Ferenc

The Engineer’s Eye

About the work of Bakos Ferenc

To read Bakos Ferenc is to witness the engineer’s eye applied to the mystic’s world. His poetry does not merely describe nature; it constructs it. He builds a haiku the way one might build a bridge: with an economy of materials and a maximum of tensile strength.

Critics like Dr. Cs. Varga István have noted that for Bakos, "the landscape is also the inner world of the man". When he writes of the desert wind, he is not just recording weather; he is recording the solitude of the expatriate engineer. When he captures a ladybird on a windshield, he is juxtaposing the fragile biology of Somogy with the hard glass of modernity. He is a poet of the interstice—the quiet space between the industrial machine and the falling petal.

Dr. Sipos Lajos, the renowned literary historian, notes that Bakos possesses a distinct "language-creating power" (nyelvteremtő erő). In his hands, the 17-syllable structure becomes a vessel for "unexpected and shocking word structures," transforming the rigid mechanics of the haiku into something fluid and alive.

His poetry is rooted in a specific terroir: the four seasons of Somogy and the shores of Lake Balaton. But this is not the Balaton of the tourist; it is a sacred, silent space. Whether describing the ice of winter or the reeds of autumn, Bakos elevates the local region of Somogy to universal significance, carrying its fame from Tokyo to the United States. His work proves that one can be deeply local and profoundly international all at once.

"A haiku is just like a pebble thrown into a motionless lake —the reader’s consciousness"

- Bakos Ferenc

The Haiku is a Handshake

Haiku captures a fleeting moment, often related to nature, using simple imagery and suggesting more than it say. It is often described as a handshake: a brief, intimate greeting with nature or a moment in time, distilling complex emotions into a compact, three-line, 17-syllable form.

In his preface to The Centuries of Haiku, Bakos Ferenc offers a definition of the genre that is as humble as it is profound. He writes:

'A haiku is just like a pebble thrown into a motionless lake—the reader’s consciousness. It starts fine waves, calling forth associations from the richness of memory.'

This philosophy defines his entire oeuvre. Bakos does not demand admiration for the poem or the poet. Instead, he invites the reader to become a co-creator. The 17 syllables are merely the pebble; the ripples belong to you. Whether writing about a 'water lily enticing from afar' or the 'violent heartbeat of a scarecrow,' Bakos provides only the spark. The fire is yours.

Desert wind -
looking at my boots
as human beings

Chestnut petals
on the windscreen - stowaway:
a ladybird

Ancient tombs
in the desert -
scarabs everywhere

Sailing boat
moored by a shining
gossamer thread

Rising moon shadow -
heart-throb, hark!
of the scarecrow

Autumn fly:
easy to catch,
easy to let go.

In autumn lake's mirror
two swimmers -
a light-year between them

My pipe-smoke
with blue autumn haze in contest

A Timeline

The literary archive of Bakos Ferenc is defined by a remarkable versatility, spanning the narrative depth of prose, the performative intimacy of drama, and the scholarly rigor of translation. His career began with the grotesque realism of short stories and expanded into the widely broadcast radio plays that captivated the nation. Furthermore, his work as a translator was crucial, acting as the conduit through which the Japanese masters reached Hungarian readers.

Yet, despite this breadth, his oeuvre ultimately converges on a single focal point: the Haiku. While his prose and dramas explored the complexities of narrative, it is the seventeen-syllable form that became the definitive vessel for his life's work. In the Haiku, Bakos found the perfect synthesis of his engineering precision and his poetic soul, making it the enduring pillar of his legacy

The Haiku Collections

Haiku hármaskönyv (Haiku Triple Book, 2000)
Self-Published, Siófok-Kiliti

A monumental achievement in "book-making" (könyvcsinálás), this trilogy was designed, typeset, folded, and bound by the author himself without a publisher. Bound with a cord and featuring translucent "mist paper," it is divided into three distinct volumes:

A haiku évszázadai (The Centuries of Haiku): A collection of his translations of classic Japanese masters, from Basho to contemporary authors.
Rising Moon Shadow: A multilingual selection (English, Japanese, Hungarian) featuring his haiku and calligraphy.
Haiku honfoglalás (Haiku Conquest): His original Hungarian haiku arranged as a calendar. It includes the striking poem inspired by the 1999 solar eclipse: "Solar eclipse / would you believe it? / The Pleiades crow at the rooster!".

Sivatagi szél / Desert Wind (2015)

Red Moon Press, Winchester, VA (USA)

Published bilingually in the United States, this volume represents the synthesis of his dual life as an engineer in the Middle East and a poet in Hungary.

The Tea Bottle Poem: The collection features the poem "autumn dusk / in my boots’ depths / a lone ladybug", which won an Honorable Mention in the Ito En Tea Company contest (2009) and was printed on tea bottles across Japan.
The Ginko Walk: It also contains his award-winning poem from the World Haiku Festival in Pécs: "ginko walk / unworn shoes of my father / died a year ago".

Prose & Drama

Szindbádia (1993)
Novel / Short Story Cycle

Born from his decade-long service as a cathodic protection engineer in Kuwait, Iraq, and Libya. In this unique cycle, Bakos transplants Gyula Krúdy’s romantic traveler, Sindbad, into the harsh, industrial reality of the desert oil fields.

Harmat hull a peóniába… (Dew Falls on the Peony, 1988)
Radio Play

Inspired by the "Chinese Tao of Love" and the philosophical dialogues of Emperor Huang-ti. This audio drama resonated so deeply with audiences that it was broadcast on Magyar Rádió for twenty-five years.

Csonttollú madarak tele (Winter of Waxwings, 1975)
Short Stories (Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó)

His debut collection, published under the mentorship of the "Generation of Peters" era. Written in the vein of grotesque realism, this volume earned him the Móricz Zsigmond Scholarship and established him as a significant prose stylist before his shift to poetry.

Translations

Rejtőzködő tó (Hidden Pond, 2015)
Modern Japanese Haiku Anthology

Co-translated with Judit Vihar and edited by Katō Kōko. This scholarly volume introduced 234 modern Japanese haiku to Hungarian readers, fulfilling Bakos's mission to connect the two cultures.

Twelve Cats (Tizenkét macska)
Cycle by Sato Kazuo

A delightful translation of Sato Kazuo's calendar cycle, where the passing of the year is marked by the lives of cats.

"Summer approaches, and they... / learn a new yawn / from my wife."

Rewards and Honors

State & Regional Honors (Hungary)

2025: Magyar Arany Érdemkereszt (Hungarian Golden Cross of Merit) – Awarded by the President of Hungary on August 20th for his decades of work popularizing haiku and deepening Hungarian-Japanese relations.
2023: Somogy Polgáraiért Díj (For the Citizens of Somogy Award).
2023: Somogyi Értékdíj (Somogy Value Prize).
2022: Somogyi Érték (Somogy Value) – His entire life's work was officially admitted to the Somogy County Value Registry (Somogy Megyei Értéktár).

International Awards

Japan

2014: 18th Mainichi Haiku Contest (Tokyo) – 2nd Prize (International Section).
2014: Fujisan (Mt. Fuji) Haiku Contest (Yamanashi) – Special Recognition (Tiszteletreméltó-díj).
2013: 4th Japan-EU English Haiku Contest (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo) – Honorable Mention.
2012: Fujisan Haiku Contest (Yamanashi) – Special Recognition.
2010: 14th Mainichi Haiku Contest (Tokyo) – Honorable Mention.
2009: 13th Mainichi Haiku Contest (Tokyo) – 2nd Prize (International Section).
2009: 20th Ito En "New Haiku" Contest (Tokyo) – Excellence Award / Honorable Mention (Selected from 13,000 entries; printed on tea bottles).
2006: 8th HIA (Haiku International Association) Contest (Tokyo) – Honorable Mention.
2002: 56th Basho Memorial Haiku Contest (Iga) – Honorable Mention (Best 10).

Other International

2010: World Haiku Festival (Pécs, Hungary) – 2nd Prize (Ginko Award).
2007: Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival (Canada) – Honorable Mention.

Professional Memberships & Distinctions

2010s: Recognized as one of Europe's 100 most creative haiku poets.
2011: Invited Lecturer at Meiji University (Tokyo) for the 6th International Haiku Festival and 2nd Tokyo Poetry Festival.
1990: Founding and sole Hungarian member of the Haiku International Association (HIA), Tokyo.