Lázár was best known for his fairy tales. His unique film-like style of writing inspired many radio, theatre and film adaptations. A film adaptation of his tale ?Poor Johnny and Árnika? made in 1981 has become a classic of the genre.
Lázár was born in Budapest in 1936, but he spent his childhood in the village of Alsórácegrespuszta, in southern Hungary, where his family lived from 1938 until 1951. The cohesive force of the small community he grew up in provided much of the inspiration for his works as an author. He attended schools in several villages as well as the city of Székesfehérvár before starting his studies at the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest in 1954. He studied journalism and literature.
His first short stories appeared in the literary magazine Jelenkor in 1958 and he became a regular contributor to the periodicals Dunántúli Napló and Esti Pécsi Napló. He was the editor of Élet és Irodalom, Hungary?s most important literary journal, between 1965 and 1971. For the past 35 years, he worked as a freelance writer, contributing to Magyar Fórum in 1989-90 as well as Magyar Napló, Pesti Hírlap and the daily Magyar Nemzet.
Lázár was a recipient of the Kossuth Prize, Hungary?s highest honour for artists.
