An evening with one of Hungary's most exceptional writers. This event focused on Fogság (Captivity), published in 2005, which has yet to be published in English. A sensation in Hungary, Captivity is a historical reconstruction of the period from around the death of Christ until the Jewish War, and follows the experiences of a Jewish wanderer named Uri.

Timothy Don read excerpts in English translation from Captivity.

Followed by a conversation with Ivan Sanders.

ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS

György Spiró is a dramatist, novelist, and essayist who has emerged as one of postwar Hungary's most prominent literary figures. His plays have won numerous awards, including several for best Hungarian drama of the year. A few of them are available in English translation. The best known one is Chickenhead (1986), an earthy and bitter drama of a young delinquent's disillusionment at the longed-for reunion with his drunken father. Dramatic Exchange described it as "widely considered to be the most important Hungarian play of the last 20 years."

Ivan Sanders is Professor Emeritus of English at Suffolk College (SUNY) and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University's East Central European Center. He has translated major Hungarian writers and has been awarded the Soros Translation Prize (1988), the Füst Milán Prize (1991), and the Déry Tibor Prize (1998). His reviews and articles have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, Commonwealth, as well as in scholarly journals in the U.S. and Europe.

Source: Hungarian Cultural Center, New York