Poet, author, literary translator Mihály Babits was born in 1883 in Szekszárd. Between 1891 and 1901 he used to be the pupil of the Cistercian grammar school in Pécs. He performed social activities, he was head of the self-training community and was awarded almost all literary prizes. He kept on mentioning Pécs as the venue for his mind's awakening, and he had good memories of his school years. In his poem "Utca estefelé" (Street in the evening) he remembers Pécs. "Nyugat" (The West) was the most influential Hungarian literary magazine ever. From the beginning, he worked with the magazine and he became editor-in-chief in 1916. He exerted great influence on the literary life of his age.
The statue was made in 1981 by Miklós Borsos. Although the sculptor did not make a portrait of the old Babits suffering from disease, you can see fatigue on the face.