literature, cinema, fine arts

The Meaning of Life - 100 Minutes of One Minute Stories

Pál Mácsai and Miklós Lukács's István Örkény Evening

no interval
Festival Theatre
  • Produced by Müpa Budapest
  • LITERARIUM EXTRA

Ticket prices


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István Örkény's One Minute Stories, a collection of short tales, was first published in 1968, more than half a century ago. The idea was minimum communication, maximum imagination.
His writings featured the grotesque spectacle of our shared ideas broken down into tiny pieces, and vice versa: the secret wholeness of life found in everyday banalities.

Today, his invented genre has become a popular concept in Hungary, many of the lines have become well-known proverbs, and the characters and scenes have grown into an integral part of Hungarian language and thought. One unique characteristic of Örkény's One-Minute Stories is that they remain untouched by time - they do not age. Not just because of the attractive format, the original approach, the clear wit and brilliant humour, but first and foremost because - as the writer himself saw - the things that are within us and surround us never alter: man is eternal.
The wit of a genius author and two equally talented artists, who particularly resonate with the exceptional sensitivity of Örkény's world, are brought together on the Festival Theatre stage. Spoken word and the cimbalom bring Örkény's compelling world to life in all its splendour.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest
  • director
    Pál Mácsai

Parking information

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