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| Géza Ottlik |
Axel Wandtke, an actor with the Volksbühne, read from the book, and the Hungarian author Péter Esterházy, who wrote the afterward, as well as Michael Naumann, the journalist, publisher and former German culture minister, both spoke at the event.
Naumann said the book opened a window onto the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Naumannn, who revealed his familiarity with Hungarian literature is exceeded only by that of his knowledge of German literature, praised Hungarian authors such as Sándor Márai, Milan Füst, Imre Kertész, Péter Esterházy and Péter Nádas. He made special mention of Kertész, whom he called the chronicler of history in Central Europe.
"That so many extraordinary novels and such enormous authors can come out of a country like Hungary is nothing other than a literary miracle," Naumann said. Hungarian literature has "been rediscovered", translated and read in Germany continuously for the past 20 years, he added.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
