In 2026, numerous iconic works of fiction and entertainment will celebrate milestone anniversaries – and we would like to celebrate these works and the joy of reading with a new series of programmes.
In the second of our series of events, we will focus on a literary classic, Franz Kafka's novel The Castle, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year since its posthumous publication in 1926.
The expert speaker of the evening will be Dr. habil. István Ladányi, lecturer at the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies at the University of Pannonia, whose research interests include comparative literature, Central European literature, South Slavic literature and contemporary Hungarian literature.
The performance starts from the cult of Kafka and how Kafka became one of the symbolic artistic figures of the 20th century. What are the responses in Kafka's biography in which the man of the 20th century has made himself known?
The lecture will explore the relationship between biography and oeuvre - with an emphasis on the works and their interpretations.
And in the work, anyone who has ever felt like a stranger in the world, who has ever had to explain to themselves or others why they are where they are - who has ever asked themselves what they are doing in the world - can recognise themselves. Kafka has a wonderful ability to capture the details, the setting, the people, to unfold the elements of the story, making the most absurd seem real. Some elements of the plot are (nightmarish) dreamlike, and 20th-21st century readers will see its symbolic meanings even if they have only a superficial knowledge of Freud, psychoanalysis, the hidden workings of the human psyche. The castle is up on the hill, the common man cannot gain admission, power works in intangible ways - who would not recognise the anxieties of modern man...
Join us for a thought-provoking evening and let's explore Kafka's world together!
Location: the Agóra Chamber Theatre
Entrance is free of charge!