PS – Juhás Jakub (2022)

Annotation After the debut New Year's ascent to Jasenina (2016), Jakub Juhász leaves the flooded mountain region and descends along the Ipeľ River into the plains, directly into the center of his hometown, searching for Sándor Petőfi and his legend, which serves as a backdrop to something more intimate. A partially autobiographical chronicle, partially a biographical narrative, and partially a bon vivant's travelogue, it speaks of the (im)possibility of the contemporary person's relationship with a historical figure and their mythologically understood story. The Hungarian romantic poet represents a cosmic (and at the same time comical) reference axis from which the author departs, weaves around, distances himself, and returns to, but never fully merges with. Juhász's prose is characterized by dense description, unpredictable punchlines, and a loud mockery that is fundamentally a clever, affectionate provocation. PS is a tribute to the human geography of the South, as the author calls the territory of his travels. Whether it is the love bank in Štiavnica, the picture gallery of the Galician castle, the Hungarian national park Hortobágy, or 'the esteemed Lučenec, a town in Novohrad,' everyone will find in PS a corner of the world or a piece of cultural heritage that they consider their own – even though in Juhász's rendition, it is impossible to have this...