Ever since the New York Café opened in 1894, it has always been at its most successful when run by art-loving managers. As Csaba Szabó, manager of the World’s Most Beautiful Café, put it: „Literature, music and the visual arts are part of the soul of this place”.
This is precisely what Eventrend Holding, the operator of the New York Café, respected when it took over the management of the café in 2006 – following a lengthy but meticulous and period-accurate renovation. For the group’s owners, there was no question that cultural and literary programmes needed to be organised, as the New York Café was once synonymous with Hungarian artistic life, and the name carries a certain obligation. Whatever may have happened in the course of history and the history of the New York Café, culture could not be erased from within its time-honoured walls. The new management recognised and supported this, thus paving the way for a new initiative.
The Beginnings
In the spring of 2012, the group’s executives, together with close colleagues who are keen enthusiasts of the arts, began organising the foundation. Their aim was to create programmes covering literature, music and other art forms that would do justice to the New York Café’s past, and through which they could communicate and discuss the legendary New York. They sought to bring back within the walls of the „New York” the vibrant cultural and artistic life that once characterised the Café, and which would also appeal to an art-loving, discerning audience. Their primary initiative to revitalise the arts scene was to „lure back” literary life within the walls of the Café.
The first attempt: the New York Literary Circle
The predecessor of the New York Artists„ Lodge was the New York Literary Lodge, which was moderated and led by the writer and poet István Turczi. They revived the tradition of donating ”New York-style’ tables named after individuals: those renowned creative figures who had once done so much for the New York Café: who were involved in running the numerous editorial offices, publishing houses and literary journals based in the building, were given a regular table so that they might once again find a home at the Café. Thus, in April 2012, the first ‘Regulars’ Table’ of the 21st century was awarded to Ferenc Juhász, a poet and two-time winner of the Kossuth and Baumgarten Prizes. Subsequently – during the operation of the Literary Box and the Művész Páholy – the following were honoured: the poet László Lator; Tamás Ungvári, teacher, literary historian and writer; poet Anna Jókai, poet Éva Janikovszky, geneticist Endre Czeizel, pianist Tamás Vásáry, ethologist Vilmos Csányi, and writer Magda Szabó were also honoured in this way for their work and life’s achievements. Ever since then, hundreds of guests and tourists have been sitting down at the regulars’ tables day in, day out, and through the biographies and quotations displayed there, they can gain a fascinating insight, in two languages, into the lives of these outstanding figures of Hungarian literature.
Inspiring contemporary authors: the Literary Competition
The artistic director of the Literary Circle and the
www.irodalmipalyazat.hu Its representative, Géza Mihályi, announced a writing competition – on a theme in the spirit of „Nyugat”, by no means by chance. Following a swift assessment by the jury, Ferenc Juhász personally presented the prizes to the entrants. The initiative generated considerable interest amongst contemporary writers: according to the terms of the competition, a maximum of 140 entries could be accepted; as this number was reached so quickly, the closing date for entries was brought forward. The conditions stipulated that entrants could submit works in the genres of poetry or short prose, with a maximum of 8,000 characters. The distinguished judging panel – comprising writer and poet Orsolya Karafiáth and writer István Turczi – assessed the entries on the spot, at the World’s Most Beautiful Café. Incidentally, all the entries had previously been posted on the irodalmipalyazat.hu Facebook page, so the public could also vote by clicking ‘Like’.
The New York Actors’ Guild
The New York Actors’ Club was launched at the same time in 2012; at its events, host Éva Csomós invited an actor or a theatre-related artist to take part in the programme, thus once again providing a home for the performing arts at the New York Café. The Café hosted the last New York Literary Salon in October 2012, coinciding with the launch of *The Stables of Pegasus*, a book by Ferenc Juhász, owner of the Törzsasztal.
The legendary Budapest café, the New York Café, served as a favourite meeting place for artists in the early 20th century; the café’s entire history is inextricably linked with literature. In days gone by, great emphasis was placed on creating a sumptuous, spacious interior, the beauty of which we can still enjoy today, along with the traditional motifs and the beautiful marble columns. Every Hungarian should visit this place, as even simply having a coffee here is a truly memorable experience. If you’d like to enjoy this experience for yourself, book a table
In March 2013, following the merger of the former societies, the New York Művész Páholy was launched, a series of events that remains successful to this day, placing literature, the visual arts, cinema and creative work at the heart of its discussion evenings. This event brought together the previous initiatives and, whilst exceeding all expectations, became one of the capital’s most successful and best-attended cultural series.
The organisers asked Anna Juhász, a cultural manager and literary scholar, to take on the role of hostess. Since the New York Művész Páholy opened, it has welcomed visitors once a month, inviting musicians, writers, dancers and painters to its programme, hosting book launches and celebrating birthdays. The events in this series are held in the Café’s famous Mélyvíz Hall, and on a few occasions each year in the New York Palace’s grand ROMA Hall, which can accommodate up to five hundred people.
The key to sustained success
The success of the New York Művész Páholy lies, on the one hand, in the fact that the organisers put their heart and soul into organising their events every month, driven by a commitment to culture. The audience is always presented with a topical message, ensuring that each evening has a clear character and atmosphere, conveying the diversity and values of knowledge, culture and the arts to the audience in a down-to-earth and direct manner. This directness is one of the defining features of the programmes.
An event of this scale could not take place if the management of the Café, or its managing director, Csaba Szabó, did not take the event to heart. However, the enthusiasm remains undiminished. Just like that of the hostess, Anna Juhász, who presents the programmes with authenticity, not only through her knowledge and preparation, but because literature runs through her veins: she herself is the daughter of a contemporary poetic giant.
Nor can we overlook the now entirely unusual approach to guest communication. One of the driving forces behind the event, Diana Józsa, the marketing manager, personally coordinates and responds to participants’ registrations and enquiries. This form of communication plays a major role in fostering a friendly, direct rapport, and this is clearly reflected in the guests’ reactions. The enthusiastic team at the New York Művész Páholy, working alongside Anna, is thus able to create a highly guest-centred and successful series of literary events.
A legend – and it will remain a legend
Continuing the series we have begun, our aim year on year is for art and our country’s most acclaimed artists to find a home at the Café through these high-quality, enriching evenings, so that there may be a place where like-minded people, committed to art, culture can meet, where, in a „New York-style” atmosphere, culture takes centre stage one evening a month.
The New York Művész Páholy evenings have become so popular that places sell out within 1–2 hours of registration opening. This means that sometimes more than 500 guests attend a single evening in the series.
