“Drip, drop. Drip, drop. Something is dripping. Drip, drop. Drip, drop. Maybe I forgot to turn off the tap. Drip, drop. Drip, drop. No. Blood is dripping, dripping ever more quietly. Soon there will be silence. Deep silence.”

Dezső Kosztolányi’s dramatic epic is filled with mysteries and question marks. In the title role is one of the most debated and analysed characters in Hungarian literature. Yet, the author insists on the enigmatic diversity of life, as well as the unreproducible singularity of the human being. He tosses aside every principle or thought that could provide a single reason as to why. What phases must one pass through (rationally? instinctively?) in order to rebel against an order accepted by everyone, even oneself? And what happens if demolishing the whole system – operating as it does on mutual dependency – comes at the cost of obliterating one’s self?

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission