The theatre performed the piece - expertly compiled by Pál Réz and Szabolcs Várady, and directed by Pál Mácsai - to mark the hundredth anniversary of the founding of Nyugat. It was a bit of a dare, as theatre-goers were probably wary of a performance involving recitations of poems, letters and essays. But the Festival Theatre at the Palace of Arts was packed.
The Örkény compressed 33 years - Nyugat was published from 1908 until 1941 - into just three hours, showing the genius of the paper's writers, poets and journalists. The actors' recitations of the poems, texts and letters were unpretentious but deep felt. Their elegant black costumes showed respect for the words, but the production also allowed some playful irony: a pair of green tennis shoes, sweaters with reindeers and colourful socks were revealed to counterbalance some of the more tragic elements.
Nyugat was founded by the poet and critic Ignotus, the political and economic journalist Miksa Fenyő and the critic Ernő Osvát. The first issue was published on January 1, 1908, with the financial support of Lajos Hatvany. Among the contents of the issue, which had a print run of just a few hundred copies, was a study by Endre Ady. The aim of the journal was to elevate Hungarian literature to the same level as Western literature. The journal also backed progressive politics and culture.
Nyugat published Hungary's youngest writers as well established authors. Among the older generation appearing in its pages were Endre Ady, Mihály Babits, Dezső Kosztolányi, Árpád Tóth, Frigyes Karinthy, Margit Kaffka, Zsigmond Móricz and Géza Csáth. The generation appearing in the 1920s included Lőrinc Szabó, László Németh, Áron Tamási and Endre Andor Gelléri. The youngest generation to be published in Nyugat boasted names such as Miklós Radnóti, Sándor Weöres, István Vas and Antal Szerb.
