Borbála Szalai’s poem recited by nearly 500 students
The atrium of the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University once again became the center of a collective recitation this year. The flash mob event titled Poem in the Square, organized by the Pro Cultura Subcarpathica civil organization, reached out to schools in Transcarpathia and poetry-loving communities for the twelfth time on April 10th.
Each year, the Poem in the Square program series is built around a selected work by a poet celebrating an anniversary in that given year. This time, Borbála Szalai’s poem The Carpathians (A Kárpátok) was in the spotlight. For the occasion, Transcarpathian poet and singer-songwriter Gergely Marcsák set the poem to music and performed it with guitar accompaniment as the opening of the event.
Following the introduction, Zoltán Maruzsa, State Secretary responsible for public education in Hungary’s Ministry of the Interior, greeted those present. In his speech, he emphasized the importance of recitation and highlighted that the Day of Hungarian Poetry is celebrated not only in Hungary but across many parts of the Carpathian Basin. He expressed his hope that Poem in the Square and similar initiatives will continue in the future. After his remarks, he was the first to sign Borbála Szalai’s portrait.
Since 2014, the organization has paid tribute to the Day of Hungarian Poetry through collective recitation: initially held on the outskirts of Beregszász, and later—due to the pandemic and then the war—within the walls of the university.
In her speech, Ildikó Orosz, president of both Pro Cultura Subcarpathica and the Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University , highlighted the community-building power of poetry. As she explained, poetry carries within it our thoughts and our answers: in times of difficulty, we always find a poem or quotation that offers a solution to our situation.
One of the most anticipated moments of the event once again took place:
the collective recitation began with the participation of approximately 500 students, conducted by Magdolna Vass, an actress of the Transcarpathian Regional Hungarian Drama Theatre. The participants first recited the poem in pairs of lines, and finally together in one unified voice.
The program did not end there: the event concluded with a solo concert by a Hungarian performer, Balázs Szabó. His program, compiled for the Day of Poetry, primarily featured musical adaptations of poems. The audience could hear these songs as they were originally conceived—evoking the intimate atmosphere of a quiet room, accompanied by a single guitar.
After the concert—similarly to previous years—the portrait of the selected poet awaited participants, who could become part of the shared experience of the flash mob by adding their signatures.
The event was realized with the support of the Government of Hungary and the Bethlen Gábor Fund Management Ltd., organized by the Pro Cultura Subcarpathica civil organization.
Photo: PCS / Makó András