Regarded by many as the greatest Hungarian poet of the 20th century, he was noted for his steadfast belief in social progress and development and for his poetry's exploration of fundamental questions of the modern European experience: love, temporality, faith, individuality, and patriotism.

He soon grew tired of Debrecen (the town later became a symbol of backwardness in his poetry) and moved to Nagyvárad (today Oradea, Romania), a city with a rich cultural life.

In articles written in 1902 for the local newspaper Nagyváradi Napló, Ady paid close attention to the social features of his time.

Perhaps unwittingly, master Fadrusz has carved a satire", he wrote, referring to the unveiling of the Wesselényi Monument.

The turning point came in August 1903 when he met Adél Brüll Diósy, a wealthy, married Jewish woman who was living in Paris at the time but was visiting her home in Nagyvárad.

Léda (as he called her in his poems) became his muse; his love for her and their visit to Paris, helped him to develop his talent.

His fourth collection, Vér és arany (Blood and Gold), brought him real success and critical acclaim.

The group published an anthology of poems of Ady and others including Mihály Babits, Gyula Juhász and Béla Balázs.

In addition, Ady was criticized for his unpatriotic feelings in a poem in which he emphasized the contrast between the rich cultural life he longed for and the cruel realities of the Hungarian peasant world.

He was elected president of the Vörösmarty Academy, an organization of modern writers, but could not deliver his opening speech; he died in Budapest on 27 January 1919, and was buried in the city's Kerepesi Cemetery.

He often used Symbolist techniques; his recurring themes are God, Hungarian identity, and the struggle for survival in modern society.

A postage stamp bearing Ady's likeness was issued 15 March 1947 by Hungary in a series of Hungarian freedom-fighters,[5] and from 1969 to 1990 he appeared on the 500 forint banknotes.

Another commemorative stamp was issued 27 January 1969 on the 50th anniversary of his death,[6] and another on 22 November 1977 on his birth centenary, along with a mini-sheet.