Hungarian ambassador to Germany József Czukor presented Pompéry with the prize on behalf of Réthelyi.
Pompéry, who has lived in Berlin since 1975, established the Berlini Szalon with the sociologist Bálint Balla of the European Protestant Hungarian Free University in the 70s. Pompéry invited Hungarian artists and intellectuals who came to the city to her home for talks. The first two guests were the Transylvanian writers Sándor Kányádi and András Sütő.
The meetings drew more people and Pompéry dubbed the talks the Berlini Szalon. In addition to writers, musicians actors and experts in the social sciences also came to the salon.
The talks, readings, concerts, theatre performances, exhibitions and presentations draw about 50 people on average.
In recent years, the salon?s guests have included György Granasztói, Hungary?s first ambassador to NATO; the writer Lajos Parti Nagy; the economic historian and expert on Hungary and Japan Katalin Ferber; the former Hungarian correspondent for Neue Zürcher Zeitung András Oplatka; and the composer György Kurtág.
Pompéry most recently hosted a performance by the Katona József theatre?s Ernő Fekete at the Berlini Szalon.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
