Written with the verve of the uninhibited artist but with a clarity of thought and expression more akin to the scientist or scholar, these poems investigate the emotional and philosophical struggles of contemporary life. Often sparked by the horrors depicted in today's news, the poems combine surrealist images with spare and lyrical language to grapple with an increasingly absurd world. The most ambitious piece in the collection is a radical, post-9/11 translation of the Anglo-Saxon elegy The Wanderer, and other poems include "Don Quixote, You Sure Can Take One Helluva Beating," "Film Version of My Hatred," "Never Held a Gun," and "The Romantic Impulse Hits the Schoolyard."

Focusing on the universe of beauty and dreams with an intensity that delves into self-recognition, these stories written over the last 15 years engage the reader with questions about our public and private lives. The stories touch on questions of identity and belief, the phantoms of memory, and the oppositions of beauty to experiences. Told in a language of brilliant power, these tales enable the reader with their enigmatic and dreamlike quality.

Ripe with love, money, and power, the story of 35-year-old Rudolf--set in a fast-paced, urban environment--begs the question Do we only think we exist? Rudolf and his wife work day and night hoping for a better life--he is a philosophy graduate student and the manager of a car dealership. He also keeps up a heart-wrenching relationship with the chic Wanda. Then there is Nina, who studies logic but is secretly a prostitute, and Alfred, owner of a car-leasing company, seemingly upright, but actually an embezzler. Each character conceals something. Be it in Hungary or North America, the craving for existential clarity remains strong.