The Night of Literature in the European Capital of Culture - a three-day world literature walk in Veszprém Castle
It was on the second weekend of November that a literary festival in Veszprém Castle and its surrounding city centre venues, organised in cooperation with 27 countries, brought together international literary enthusiasts. For the first time after Budapest and Debrecen, the Night of Literature, a three-night literary adventure, was held in Veszprém, under the European Capital of Culture programme, in cooperation with EUNIC Hungary, Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture and PASZTA.
EUNIC Hungary is the umbrella organisation of the cultural departments of international cultural institutes and embassies in Hungary. The event aims to promote contemporary world literature. This year's programme offered a selection of literature from 27 countries.
Despite late autumn inclement weather, literature lovers were not deterred from wandering around the castle and its surroundings in the evening, listening to excerpts of contemporary literature from Portugal to Japan and from Iceland to Italy. Most of the recitals took place in well-known and popular places in the cultural life of Veszprém, which were not necessarily related to literature; thus put art in a new context. Some unusual venues also opened their doors, like the Small Wedding Room of City Hall, where visitors are only allowed in on special occasions.
The readings took place at nine different venues in parallel on all three days, each with a 10-15 minute excerpt from a work by an author from a selected country, read by teachers and students of the Pannon Theatre School (PASTA) every half hour. This way, keen audiences could listen to up to six readings per evening. Many of the visitors also took part in a game linked to the event, with the lucky ones receiving a book packet compiled by the international cultural institutes participating in the programme.
For those who didn't make it to the readings but would like to get some ideas or gift a good book to friends and family, it's still worth browsing the Night of Literature offer.
