When it comes to Frigyes Karinthy's artistic career, the first thing that usually comes to mind is Így írtok ti, a collection of verses which satirised the style of other writers and which is now largely seen as an essential text of Hungarian literature. It was a piece of work which the magazine Nyugat refused to publish, saying that it was more suitable for humour magazines. From that time on, as József Keresztesi writes, 'there is no turning back, Karinthy becomes an author with two faces: on the one hand he is a long-time associate of the Nyugat journal, while on the other he is also a favourite of the masses and - if we can say it - a popular culture star,' who at the start of the 20th century made a name for himself with literary caricatures and humorous writing in the funny papers. While he never repudiated these works, his subsequent declarations, writings and statements attributed to him by his contemporaries betrayed a palpable bitterness that his humorous works meant he was never taken seriously and people paid little heed to his philosophical and political ideas.
The superb contemporary poet Ferenc Szijj has compiled a selection for the show which will offer reflections on this dichotomy, while also examining Karinthy's literary works as a whole. Szijj will draw attention to those values and some rarely quoted poems, without which a presentation of Karinthy's poetry would be incomplete.

Cooperating partner for the performance: Hungarian National Theatre.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest