The Awakening of Mihály Vitéz : On the Premieres of the Plays of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz, 1911–1948

Gajdó, Tamás (2023) The Awakening of Mihály Vitéz : On the Premieres of the Plays of Mihály Csokonai Vitéz, 1911–1948. URANIA: INTERDISCIPLINARY ACADEMIC JOURNAL : THEATRE, CINEMATOGRAPHY, MEDIA, 3 (2). pp. 23-46. ISSN 2786-3263 (Print), 2939-5305 (Online)

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Abstract

Mihály Csokonai Vitéz’s plays were only discovered by theatre-makers at the beginning of the twentieth century. The first comedy to be staged was The Widow of Mr Karnyó and the Two Rascals in 1911 at a matinee of the literary journal Nyugat. It was on this occasion that Endre Ady wrote his ode The Awakening of Mihály Vitéz. Placing Csokonai in the limelight was clearly an act of literary politics at the time. In addition to examining the first performance, the paper shows how the trajectory of the Debrecen writer’s stage works continued between the two world wars. Although Csokonai’s dramatic works did not make it to the national repertoire, occasional performances of Mrs Karnyó have repeatedly proved that the former school play offers a great opportunity to develop a new, bolder style of play. It should also not be overlooked that the performances of 18th-century plays in the 20th century became part of the political and theatre policy battles.

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