Long night of literatures with a renowned Hungarian author in India

On 23rd September 2022 a Long Night of Literatures was held at New Delhi, India in which authors from ten European nations participated.

The event was under the aegis of EUNIC, – European Union National Institutes for Culture – is the European network of organisations engaging in cultural relations. EUNIC members engage in cultural and related activities beyond their national borders. The purpose of EUNIC is to create effective partnerships and networks between the participating organisations, to improve and promote cultural diversity and understanding between European societies, and to strengthen international dialogue and co-operation with countries outside Europe.

The venue of the function was Cervantes Institute, Spanish Cultural Centre, New Delhi which has the necessary infrastructure in the form of a big auditorium for inauguration, and sufficient classrooms which are used for authors and participants interaction. Young and enthusiastic student volunteers did the needful with smiles.

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Hungary was ably represented in the Long Night of Literatures 2022 by Péter Szűcs. He is an author, independent journalist, travel writer and photographer.

Péter Szűcs. Photo: Gopalan Rajamani

Peter, who was born in 1976, studied literature as well as cultural anthropology at ELTE University, Budapest where he earned a degree in Hungarian Literature and Linguistics. His stories,articles and photos were published by international magazines like Forbes,Elle, Marie Clare and National Geographic. You can find out more about him and his work at his website www.petersplanet.travel.

In the Long Night of Literatures Peter spoke about his first novel, titled Dharma, written in Hungarian and published in 2021 which was one of the best selling books of the year. The novel Dharma according to its subtitle is a family fictional story, stretching from Tisza River, Hungary to the great river of India, Ganges. It is a saga that spans across three generations of an an extended family.

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Peter said that his debut novel Dharma was inspired by his travel experiences and that his first trip to India has changed his life. He further said that “I never felt that soulful uniqueness before what I felt in India. My novel was also inspired by Indian people and Indian cities like Mumbai and Varanasi. Truly happy to come back to feel, to be inspired and meet with India again in 2022.”

Audience was thrilled to hear him read excerpts from the novel Dharma first in Hungarian and then in English. They asked several questions about the novel Dharma which were answered by Peter in an interesting and convincing manner.

On behalf of Hungary, the Long Night of Literatures 2022 was coordinated by Dr. Marianne Erdő, Director of Liszt Institute-Hungarian Cultural Centre Delhi.

Source: Gopalan Rajamani, New Delhi, India.