Thu, Jun 12
|New York
Psyché - Writings of an Erstwhile Poetess by Sándor Weöres
A Rehearsal for Truth Festival Program - in honor of Vaclav Havel Thurs, June 12 in ENGLISH (angolul) - Fri, June 13 in Hungarian (magyarul). Psyché, a Romani countess, wanders across Europe during the Napoleonic era in a chauvinistic society that challenges her independence.
Time & Location - Időpont
Jun 12, 2025, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
New York, 213 E 82nd St, New York, NY 10028, USA
About the Event - Részletek
Psyché - Writings of an Erstwhile Poetess
Select tickets – Psyche (Live Theater: HUNGARY) – Hungarian House
Thursday June 12, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM, in English (angolul)
Friday June 13, 2025, 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM, in Hungarian (magyarul)
Psyché, Erzsébet Lónyay, a Magyar heiress, Romani countess and poet, wanders across Europe during the Napoleonic era in a chauvinistic society that challenges her independence. The first English translation of a one-woman show performed by Stella Abel and adapted from the Hungarian book Psyche: Writings of an Erstwhile Poetess by Sándor Weöres.
From the poems by Sándor Weöres
Translated by David Cseh
Directed by Mark Tarnoki
Performed by Stella Abel
Produced by Steve Green and Andrew Nance
From The Broadcast Studios
Photos by Cam Harle
“One of the most outstanding works of the last stage of Sándor Weöres’ career is certainly Psyché, which was published in three editions in quick succession in 1972. The cycle of poems of Psyché, supplemented by prose writings and notes, depicts the life story of an imaginary 19th century poetess. This imaginary poetess is Erzsébet Lónyay, who was born in 1795, her father was a wealthy nobleman and her mother was the daughter of a gypsy voivode, who was adopted by Count Majláth. Lónyay, whose third first name is Psyché, moves at home in the gypsy row of Miskolc and in the palaces of the nobility, while she does not refrain from slippery adventures and gives free rein to her carnal desires, and the ascetic world of the nuns of Regensburg is not alien to her. She meets Baron Maximilián Zedlitz, who marries her after adventurous relationships and divorces. Her aging husband is overcome by jealousy, his wife He suspects deceit in everything he does. Humiliated by his jealousy, he is perhaps not entirely innocent in the car accident that killed Lónyay.”
(Gábor Schein: Weöres Sándor. Elektra Publishing House, Bp., 2001. p. 96-97)
“A true-to-life novel, a brilliant imitation, a historical message: these are the alternating and yet simultaneously present layers of the book. It is also known that Weöres himself considers his book a test system. A psychological test, where everyone puts together the figures and images placed in front of them according to their state of consciousness. “
(Zoltán Kenyeres: Tündérsíp. Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, Bp., 1983. p. 340)
In 1980, Gábor Bódy made his film Psyché I-III. (Psyché and Narcissus, Narcissus and Psyché) based on the work of Sándor Weöres.
ABOUT THE 2025 REHEARSAL FOR TRUTH INTERNATIONAL THEATER FESTIVAL
Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival, honoring Václav Havel, is a showcase of contemporary European theater organized each year in New York City. Conceived in 2017 as a shared endeavor of the Václav Havel Center (VHC) and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA), the festival honors the legacy of Czech playwright, dissident and political thinker Vaclav Havel.
Each edition of Rehearsal for Truth Theater Festival addresses current sociopolitical trends in Central and Eastern Europe, offering New York audiences a unique opportunity to witness the region’s theatrical zeitgeist.
The program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The festival is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.