The Festival of Thought, which takes place in Veszprém between 25–29 October as one of the most exciting autumn events of this year’s European Capital of Culture programme, is based on Imre Madách’s The Tragedy of Man, but it does not explore the text from the usual directions – i.e., primarily not from a literary or literary-historical perspective – but rather examines the topicality of the themes, ideas, questions, and problems contained in the work.
The five-day event will therefore focus on sociological, economic, philosophical, ecological, and lifestyle themes. Literature and the various artistic branches will also be included in the festival programme, but these will be examined in the light of the above factors.
The programme covers a wide range of formats, including some that are less common in Hungary. In addition to classic frontal performances and moderated discussions, the audience will be treated to Pecha Kucha presentations, Munk Debates, and Oxford debate-style discussion forums, dialogical „sermons”, and round table discussions.
Another important aim of the Festival of Thought is to bring together national and international experts from different backgrounds, with different understanding on the topic in question, to engage in dialogue. This is how priests of different religions, followers of different discourses of science, and representatives of different economic, philosophical, or political schools would be in the same conversation.
