Csokonai Vitéz Mihály

“Mihály Csokonai Vitéz’s most famous portrait shows a man in a Hungarian fur-lined mantle gazing at us with large, open eyes. Whoever etched this image into copper never set eyes on the poet, " writes László Bertók. Moving beyond the clichés of school curricula and the stereotypes associated with the poet, our programme explores Csokonai’s true face; features preserved not in paintings or statues, but in poems, letters, and other writings. Through them, we encounter a man who was among the most modern figures of his age, and one of Hungary’s greatest poets. In doing so, we confront the question of how relevant and timely the portrait that emerges of this poet, who died at 32 after living a tortured life, remains today. The answers promise to be full of surprises.