This year, from May 30 to June 1, 2025, actors of the Csokonai National Theatre will welcome international literature lovers in downtown Debrecen for three evenings. The central theme of the Night of Literature in 2025 is SHELTER.
For the seventh time, Debrecen is joining the Night of Literature initiative, which started in Prague in 2006. Over three evenings, actors from the Csokonai National Theatre will read aloud works in hidden and exciting cultural spaces around the city center.
In 2025, even more than last year, 26 Debrecen actors will read excerpts from works by 26 authors representing 26 countries. This year’s theme is SHELTER, and the selected texts relate to this topic.
The readings will begin each evening at 6:30 p.m. and continue until 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at nine venues, and until 9 p.m. on Sunday at eight venues. At each location, a passage from a given author’s work will be performed for 10–15 minutes every half hour between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thanks to the close proximity of the downtown venues, visitors can decide the order in which they listen to the literary excerpts.
Participation in the program is free and requires no prior registration. Interested parties can find details about the venues, works, and actors at irodalomejszakaja.hu. The website also provides information on which locations will offer sign language interpretation for deaf or hard-of-hearing guests and which readings are accessible for visitors with mobility impairments.
The Night of Literature in Debrecen is organized jointly by EUNIC Hungary (the umbrella organization of European Union national cultural institutes in Hungary) and the Csokonai National Theatre Debrecen. The program is supported by the Municipality of Debrecen, the Deutsches Kulturforum Debrecen, and Debrecen Irodalom. The main patron is Dr. István Puskás, Deputy Mayor responsible for culture in Debrecen.
A few days after the Debrecen series, the Night of Literature will also take place in Budapest from June 4 to 6, 2025.
