World-famous writers visit Budapest for the fifth PesText Festival

The 2023 edition of our international literary and cultural festival will also bring you exciting theatrical and artistic events, like the grandiose exhibition of French book illustrations.

This is the fifth PesText International Literary and Cultural Festival, organized by MISZJE and the Petőfi Cultural Agency. We start the Festival on a high note: an exciting discussion with Rébecca Dautremer, world-famous French illustrator as well as the grand opening of the related exhibition on French book illustrations. Besides the featured participants of PesText – Janne Teller, Bergsveinn Birgisson, Bridget Collins and Mathias Énard –, several exciting up-and-coming writers, such as Giulia Caminito, Nicholas Binge and Stacey Halls will also visit us in Budapest. Musical and theatrical performances by Miklós H. Vecsei and the TÁP Theatre will provide further entertainment.

2023 brings us the fifth PesText International Literary and Cultural Festival organized by MISZJE (Hungarian Association for the Protection and Management of Literary Copyright) and the Petőfi Cultural Agency. Between 20 and 30 September, those interested in literature will have a chance to take part in exciting events at multiple venues: Három Holló, Millenáris and the Petőfi Literary Museum. You can find all the events on our Facebook page and website, or you can download the English Program Book here.

“When we first organized PesText five years ago, we felt that this time, it will be different. We envisioned an international gathering which will focus on the literature of the whole word, but also spread the good word about Hungarian culture abroad. Every year since that first event, we have brought great authors to Hungary, to make it possible for their local readers to engage them in thrilling conversation. And this year will be no exception. Despite all the difficulties in the world today, we are still here, and we still believe that literature binds us together. Art and culture retains the ability to influence open-minded people.” – said Árpád Kollár, founder of PesText, director of MISZJE.

Among the authors featured at PesText are Janne Teller, author of the world-famous novel Nothing; Bergsveinn Birgisson, one of the most popular contemporary Scandinavian writers; Bridget Collins, world-famous for her book The Binding; and Goncourt Prize winner Mathias Énard. The event will also welcome Rébecca Dautremer, perhaps the most famous contemporary French illustrator. Three young talents also promise to provide us with exciting insights: Stacey Halls, who rejuvenated historical fiction, science fiction writer Nicholas Binge and Italian Giulia Caminito, author of The Water of The Lake Is Never Clear and Pure. Well-known Hungarian literary experts are the guarantee of stimulating conversations: Balázs Keresztes, Ágnes Tótfalusi, Judit Berg, Dorka Gyárfás, Róbert Smid and Ádám Vajna among them.

It is a tradition at PesText to pay attention to the artistic genres closely related to literature. Our exhibition, In every colour presents the most exciting artists of French book illustration at the Petőfi Literary Museum. As usual, performances several exciting performances dot the programme. TÁP Theatre, known for its unconventional and provocative choices created a production based on If the War Came Here by Janne Teller, directed by Vilmos Vajdai. Miklós H. Vecsei and his fellow performers will bring a literary concert theatre experience to Három Holló, where they will present a selection from the oeuvre of János Pilinszky and Sándor Csoóri, straddling the fine line between theatre, music, literature and performance. Well-known comic book artists and illustrators will create drawings in real time, in sync with unique tunes by Rozina Pátkai.

2023 also sees us continue our co-operation with the International Book Festival of Budapest, which has proved so successful in the past. Participants can enjoy our joint programmes at Millenáris during the day, and when the Book Festival closes its doors, continue on to Három Holló, where the events of PesText serve as the official after-party.

All the programmes at PesText are free, but we require you to register for some of them. You can check the Facebook page of the festival here.

Source: Press release