On the Brink of Passion: Hungarian poetry, modernity, and spirituality

Register & Tickets: https://www.hungarianhouse.org/hu/event-details/egy-szenvedely-margojara-magyar-kolteszet-modernitas-spiritualitas-1

Zsolt Prieger, frontman of Anima Sound System—a band that's been going strong for 32 years—is also a writer, teacher, producer, and performer. Over the years, he has captivated audiences with nearly 20 distinctive musical-literary evenings. His most recent work, drawing from Attila József's poetry, was performed alongside actress Katica Nagy, who starred in the film Semmelweis. For New York audiences, he's created their newest program, On the Margin of a Passion, which explores the timeless spirituality and contemporary relevance found within Hungarian tradition through literature, poetry, letters, and diaries—featuring voices from János Pilinszky to Antal Szerb, from Béla Hamvas to Teréz Brunszvik, who was born 250 years ago.

The performance also honors two other Hungarian artists marking significant anniversaries this year: Béla Bartók, who died in New York 80 years ago, and Mór Jókai, born 200 years ago. Woven throughout the show—alongside masterpieces of Transylvanian poetry—is the profoundly contemporary verse of Attila József, whose lines written nearly a century ago still strike us…