Date/Time

Wednesday, May 31, 2017 / 18:30 - 21:30

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A monodrama based on three novels and diary of Sándor Márai Sándor

Adapted by: Csaba Lászlóffy
Actor: Judit Havas
Costume Designer: Terézia Stiaszny
Directed by: Zoltán Czigány

Downloadable Poster

„…Erudition?… A big deal! Madam, do you know – and I see her raising her pointer finger, wondering –, do you know what erudition is at all?… You really are lenient to do your toenails in red!… And you fancy reading a fine book in the afternoon or before bed?! And you deign to meander upon the sound of musical masterpieces, do you not?… No, madam, erudition is something else. Erudition, my very dear lady, is a reflex!

It seems as though it takes a great deal to learn that erudition is a man or a nation being fulfilled with some sort of great joy… They say that the Greeks were once erudite when the entire nation was happy about something. The potters who were crafting small statues, and the merchants of oil, the people and the army and the wise who constantly argued at the marketplace over what was aesthetic and what was moral. Imagine a nation whose life holds happiness! And this happiness is erudition… But then that nation vanished, and merely Greek-speaking people remained… but this is not the same…”

The Canadian side of the tour is organized by the NAHC Ottawa – Toronto

Program

18:30 — Dinner
19:30 — Theatrical Play
21:00 – Meet the Actress

About the Play

The play „Áldozó Judit” (Altruistic Judith) by Csaba Lászlóffy is based on several books of Sándor Márai. Among those are the „Igazi” (The One) written in 1941 (one of the greatest achievement in Hungarian literature) and its sequel „Judit… és az utóhang” (Judit… and Epilogue) from 1981. Lászlóffy also used the diary of Márai as a source for his play.

Márai Sándor
(1900-1989)

These works by Márai offer a shockingly honest introspection into love, solitude and reality. In this psychological thriller the lives of people of different classes are interwoven.

The stories of these self-testimonies originate from his cyclical works. First the married, than divorced woman, Ilonka tells her story, later her husband, Peter reflects on his love for the maid whom he finally loses. The story is continued by the matured maid, Judit. These works by Márai conceal parts of his life-experience in emigration.

A detailed analysis of the novels can be found at Transindex.ro (in Hungarian).

About the Actress

Dr. Havas Judit

Dr. Judit Havas graduated from the Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in Hungarian and Librarian studies and later she received her PhD in History of Literature. During her studies she had great masters, among them Miklós Cserés, Zoltán Latinovits, Imre Montágh, Miklós Gábor Kerényi and others.

Since 1975 Dr. Havas is also active as a performer. She used the works of many great Hungarian writers and poets for her performances. Besides the Hungarians she also created programs from works by Latin-American and Hebrew authors. For the children she recorded a series of audiobook CDs about the tales of Elek Benedek. She appears regularly on the Duna Television. Due to her extensive efforts made for the preservation of the Hungarian culture, Dr. Havas has been awarded several distinguished awards. For more detailed information visit her homepage at havasjudit.hu.

Recitals by Dr. Judit Havas:

On the Dinner Menu

Pork Tenderloin Filled with Plums and Rolled into Bacon, Served with Rice with Parsley and Beets	Mixed Plate of Desserts
Coffee and Tea	Soft drinks, beer, wine and liquors available at the bar.

We can only guarantee the seating for reservations received in time, and dining is by reservations only. Please make yours by 9 PM on Friday prior to the event. Reservations successfully submitted through the web are confirmed by e-mail.

Bookings