Keresd a szíved (Search Your Heart),

or the story of the first theatrical production of Mór Jókai’s novel A kőszívű ember fiai (The Baron’s Sons)

Abstract

Mór Jókai (1825–1904) was not only closely connected with the theatre as a private man, through his two wives, but he also wrote the stage versions of eleven of his own short stories and novels. His novel adaptations had already achieved great success at the National Theatre when, on 16 May 1886, he submitted his play Keresd a szíved (Search Your Heart), based on A kőszívű ember fiai (The Baron’s Sons), to the review committee. However, the premiere did not take place until 25 April 1896, at the Budai Nyári Színkör (Buda Summer Theatre Group), which was then called the Fővárosi Nyári Színház (Capital City Summer Theatre) and was led by Ignác Krecsányi. What had happened in those ten years? Why was the first stage version of one of the best known and most popular Hungarian novels not staged at the National Theatre and why did it take so long? This is strange, given that Jókai had long enjoyed great popularity internationally. I seek answers to the above questions by studying contemporary documents and works on theatre history, examining the reasons behind the choice of title and the dramaturgy of the stage version. In addition, I discuss the venue of the premiere, the Budai Nyári Színkör, and its director, Ignác Krecsányi, in more detail.