This September, European literature takes over the streets of Central and Sheung Wan. Dive into Attila Bartis's novel The End, brought to life by Vulgo Theatre at the PMQ Taste Library.
This September, European literature takes over the streets of Central and Sheung Wan.
Inspired by the original Literature Night launched in Prague in 2006, this is Hong Kong’s second edition, organised by EUNIC Cluster Hong Kong, 13 European Consulates and Cultural Institutes, with the support of Zolima CityMag, Hong Kong International Literary Festival, Bookazine, and our local venue partners.
Date and time: 17 September 2025, 17:30 – 22:30
Location: Central & Sheung Wan
Free Admission – RSVP or walk in
How it works
- From 17:30 to 22:30, each venue hosts a live English reading every 30 minutes – a 10-minute performance followed by 20 minutes to stroll to your next stop.
- You’re free to create your own route, exploring venues in any order.
- Featured titles will be available through Bookazine during and around the event.
Event map, RSVP link, and full details is available here:
Literature Night Hong Kong 2025
Hungary | 17 September 2025 | PMQ Taste Library
The End by Attila Bartis
Translated into English by Judith Sollosy.
The English-language novel was published by Archipelago Books. Author Attila Bartis and translator Judith Sollosy have won the EBRD Literature Prize 2024.
Attila Bartis
Attila Bartis is a Hungarian writer, photographer, dramatist, and journalist, born in Transylvania in 1968. He has lived in Budapest, Hungary since 1984 and partially in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia) since 2014. His books have been translated into over twenty languages. His photographic works have also been exhibited internationally. He has received several scholarships and literary prizes for his photographic and literary work, including the Attila József Prize in 2005. The novel The End, translated from Hungarian by the talented Judith Sollosy, won the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s 2024 Literature Prize. His works are widely acclaimed for their lyrical prose, emotional depth, and profound psychological insight, establishing him as a significant figure in contemporary Hungarian literature.
“Nothing approximates death as closely as photography.” In a small town in Communist Hungary, András Szabad’s childhood comes to an abrupt end with his father’s return from prison and the death of his loving mother. In search of new beginnings, András moves with his father to Budapest, where he discovers a passion for photography, for uncovering the invisible through the visible, and for fixing matter and memory so as to ward them against the inevitability of time. An unorthodox first encounter brings András together with Éva, and soon they become entangled in a psychosexual relationship of consuming passion, but also of bitterness and resentment. Unspooling like a roll of film, The End captures in frames of language the faces and places of András’ memory, which together form a fever-dream collage of an artist’s psyche. With electric precision and fluid dialogue, Attila Bartis weaves a sprawling family saga with 20th-century European history and offers an unflinchingly lucid yet boundlessly compassionate account of psychological devastation under authoritarianism.
Presenter: Attila Gönczy and the VULGO Theatre
Attila Gönczy is a talented Hungarian actor residing in Hong Kong, and the visionary founder of both STAGEground and VULGO Theatre. Established in 2023, VULGO Theatre is a Hong Kong-based company, dedicating to captivating audiences through performances that explore the depths of human emotion and creativity. Their shows invites viewers to immerse in unique stories, blending innovative staging with powerful acting.
The 2025 Line-Up
Germany – Glorious People | Caro Chan @ Project House
Czechia – Gerta | Vincent Tang @ Commaa Café (LAAB Architects)
France – Sad Tiger | Angela Yu @ La Galerie Paris
Italy – Perfection | Lilli Chung @ La Biblioteca Italian Library Hong Kong
Belgium – First Blood | Rachel Smith @ Parenthèses French Bookshop
Ireland – Dubliners | Ki Kwok @ Bookazine Social
Poland – Poems New and Collected | Tiff Chan @ Ztoryhome
Hungary – The End | Attila Gönczy and the Vulgo Theatre @ Taste Library (PMQ)
Switzerland – The Alaska Sanders Affair | Eva Wong @ Wyndham Social
Portugal – Death at Intervals | José Geral @ The Flying Club (RSVP only)
Ukraine – The Factory | Nataliia Prysiazhniuk @ Wyndham Social
Spain – The City of Mist | Carlos Koo @ Taste Library (PMQ)
Finland – Fishing for the Little Pike | Gavin Coates @ Habyt
Full details of the program is available here: https://bookazine.com.hk/pages/european-literature-night-2025?view=european-literature-night
