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?The interest that my book presentation attracted in Zagreb was unsettling,? said the Attila József Prize-winning author. ?Even if I made every possible effort, I would never be able to organise a book presentation for a young Croatian writer and draw as many people in Hungary as those that came in Zagreb,? he added.
A discussion with the writer was hosted by Seid Srdarevic, head of the Croatian publisher Fraktura. It drew a big crowd, including many journalists, and was recorded for broadcast by Croatian public television.
?It was a great honour and the whole evening was an uplifting experience,? the writer said.
Grecsó added that a young journalist said during the evening that Hungarian writers represented a breed of their own in Eastern Europe.
Srdarevic said that a meeting of writers from countries along the River Danube, organised by the city of Vukovar with the Austrian Cultural Forum, would be take place in Vukovar on Friday and Saturday. Croatian, Bosnian, Serbian, Austrian and Hungarian writers will attend. Grecsó will represent Hungary and his book Homecoming will be presented.
Grecsó said what most interested him about Vukovar was the fact that the city still bears wounds from the time of the war, a reminder that a lack of discourse resulted in tragedy. The baroque city is slowly being rebuilt, and an international writers? conference could lend to the rebirth of its intellectual life while perhaps livening up the dialogue, he added.
?This meeting will be metaphoric and I indeed understand its significance. I know that there are still tensions and wounds can be reopened, but my Croatian translator Xenia Detoni will be with me and she will help me avoid making any mistakes,? he said.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
