Hungary: The End

“Nothing approximates death as closely as photography.” In a small town in Communist Hungary, András Szabad’s childhood comes to an abrupt end with his father’s return from prison and the death of his loving mother. In search of new beginnings, András moves with his father to Budapest, where he discovers a passion for photography, for uncovering the invisible through the visible, and for fixing matter and memory so as to ward them against the inevitability of time. An unorthodox first encounter brings András together with Éva, and soon they become entangled in a psychosexual relationship of consuming passion, but also of bitterness and resentment. Unspooling like a roll of film, The End captures in frames of language the faces and places of András’ memory, which together form a fever-dream collage of an artist’s psyche. With electric precision and fluid dialogue, Attila Bartis weaves a sprawling family saga with 20th-century European history and offers an unflinchingly lucid yet boundlessly compassionate account of psychological devastation under authoritarianism.

Writer:

Attila Bartis
Attila Bartis is a Hungarian writer, photographer, dramatist, and journalist, born in Transylvania in 1968. He has lived in Budapest. Hungary since 1984 and partially in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia) since 2014. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. His photographic works have also been exhibited internationally. He has received several scholarships and literary prizes for his photographic and literary work, including the Attila József Prize in 2005. The novel The End, translated from Hungarian by the talented Judith Sollosy, won the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s 2024 Literature Prize. His works are widely acclaimed for their lyrical prose, emotional depth, and profound psychological insight, establishing him as a significant figure in contemporary Hungarian literature.

Performer (Book Reading):

Attila Gönczy, VULGO Theatre
Attila Gönczy is a talented Hungarian actor residing in Hong Kong, and the visionary founder of both STAGEground and VULGO Theatre. Established in 2023, VULGO Theatre is a Hong Kong-based company, dedicating to captivating audiences through performances that explore the depths of human emotion and creativity. Their shows invites viewers to immerse in unique stories, blending innovative staging with powerful acting.

Venue:

Taste Library, H501, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central

Reading Sessions:

17:30 - 17:40 | 18:00 - 18:10 | 18:30 - 18:40 |19:00 - 19:10 | 19:30 - 19:40 | 20:00 - 20:10 | 20:30 - 20:40 | 21:00 - 21:10 | 21:30 - 21:40 | 22:00 - 22:10