V4 & PesText partnership
As part of the 2026–2027 PesText Festival, the Visegrad Fund is financing the program entitled City and Nature – Harmony and Diversity; V4 Literary and Artistic Relations.
We often face the paradox that most of our partners and audiences are based in city spaces, where cultural exchange is vibrant but the link to nature remains fragile. To bring a positive change, V4 cultural initiatives must consciously reconnect urban audiences with their surrounding natural environment. Our festival, however, is located in unique venues: one overlooks Gellért Hill, while another opens directly into one of the city’s most beautiful parks. This setting allows us to create artistic encounters where literature, urban space, and nature intersect. Similar needs are reflected by our V4 partners, who increasingly value locations and activities that highlight a connection to nature. As we find it difficult to connect with the urban environment, it seems that we find it even more difficult to connect with “small languages.” in contemporary literature. Readers are often more familiar with the larger linguistic cultures than with contemporary authors from their neighboring countries. To change this situation, our project promotes contemporary V4 literature and translation in innovative formats, such as flash fiction, drama translation, and multidisciplinary collaborations. Our contribution to the solution builds on three key elements: mobility, by bringing writers and artists together in live events, workshops, and exhibitions to strengthen sustainable V4 networks; visibility, by showcasing authors and their works , making their voices accessible to wider audiences; and connection, by creating joint artistic activities .
In the spring of 2026, we organising the following events:
International Literary Platform, City&Nature Edition:
📅May 8, 2026 (Friday) at 7:00 PM
Wojciech Tochman in Budapest – the master of Polish literary reportage at PesText
In recent decades, Polish non-fiction – that is, literary reportage – has become one of the most exciting and dynamically developing genres in Europe. Its most important authors continue to be connected to a strong tradition: the legendary Polish school of reportage.
One of the outstanding representatives of this school is Wojciech Tochman, who is now coming to Budapest as a guest of PesText.
📅 Friday, May 8, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.
„URBAN FORESTS” – V4 POETRY EVENING
Where does the city end, and where does nature begin? And what happens in the space where the two meet—within us?
At one of PesText’s most powerful, immersive multidisciplinary events, five outstanding contemporary poets give voice to the subtle, often tension-filled relationship between urban life and the natural world. “Urban Forests” is more than a reading: it is a sensitive, multilingual literary space where poems are performed in their original languages alongside Hungarian translations.
Poetry, text, readings: Katarína Kucbelová (SK), Kateřina Rudčenková (CZ), Bianka Rolando (PL), Katalin Ladik (HU), Florencia Horváth (HU)
Music: Andrea György – voice, violin, looper
Multimedia / Visuals: MAKRÓ VJ – Anikó Skribek, Dávid Kara
Host, moderator: Henrietta Szalay
Flash Fiction – V4 Edition, Budapest
📅 Date and time: Friday, May 8, 2026, at 4:00 p.m
Flash in Translation is a unique international flash fiction workshop where Hungarian, Austrian, British, Czech, Polish, and Slovak authors come together to collaborate, reflect, and experiment with short, condensed forms of prose. The workshop offers insight into the dialogue between different literary traditions: how cultural backgrounds shape writing styles, what challenges and opportunities translation brings, and how new, shared stories can emerge through collaboration among writers from across Europe.
V4 Illustration Lab, Budapest
📅 Saturday, May 9, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
At the closing event of the PesText Festival, you will have the opportunity to meet Agata Dudek, co-founder of the studio and one of the key figures of contemporary Polish illustration. She will be in conversation with László Nagy, associate professor at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME), followed by a guided tour of the exhibition.
📅 Saturday, May 9, 2026, 8:00 p.m.
“Hello, Colors! Hello, Shapes!” exhibition
We are closing the PesText International Literary and Cultural Festival this spring with a special visual experience: an exhibition of works by the Polish Acapulco Studio, bringing the distinctive, playful, yet highly conscious world of Agata Dudek and Małgorzata Nowak-Żurek to Budapest.
The exhibition titled “Hello, Colors! Hello, Shapes!” presents the work of one of the most exciting studios in contemporary Polish illustration. Acapulco Studio builds on the traditions of poster art while remaining fresh and modern: their clean, geometric visual language is brought to life by vivid, direct colors. Founded in Warsaw in 2012, the studio has become one of the most renowned Polish graphic and illustration studios. Their books and visual projects have received numerous international awards (IBBY, PTWK, STGU, Nami Concours) and are present worldwide.
📅 May 7–9, 2026
Colors, Shapes, Compositions – Illustration Workshop with Agata Dudek
The PesText International Literary and Cultural Festival offers a unique opportunity for the local audience. During Agata Dudek’s three-day professional workshop, participants will have the chance to explore the graphic artist and illustrator’s unique perspective, gain insight into her creative process, and work together with one of the leading, internationally recognized figures in contemporary Polish illustration.
Our Planned Events for Fall 2026:
International Literary Platform, City&Nature Edition II. Budapest
V4 Illustration Lab II.Budapest
V4 Drama Lab – Translation, Stage, and Dialogue (Event–Public)
Our partners:
Borderland Foundation (PL) Fundacja Pogranicze
Csirimojó Cultural Association
Három Holló Café and Cultural Centre (HU)
