His articles were often published in Nyugat (West), the most important Hungarian literary journal in the first half of the 20th century.

During World War I, he was sent to Switzerland by the Hungarian daily newspaper Az Est (The Evening) as a reporter.

His pacifist articles and other publications written in 1918 were also published in German and French papers and were collected in a book called Egyszerű gondolatok (Simple Thoughts).

It is the story which inspired Béla Bartók, the famous Hungarian composer, to create in 1924 the ballet The Miraculous Mandarin.

After World War I, Lengyel went to the United States for a longer stay and published his experiences in 1922 in a book Amerikai napló (American Journal).