Andrea Tompa: From a Certain Distance. A Dialogue with the Legacy of Lajos Erdélyi

In connection with the exhibition The Tactless Photojournalist. The Archive of Lajos Erdélyi from the Ceaușescu Era, open until October 26, Archivum is organizing a series of accompanying programs. Between September 11 and October 26, 2025, together with writers, historians, filmmakers, and photo historians, we will recall the worlds revealed in the photographs—or, at times, what they conceal. Our guests will include István Jávor, Zsuzsa Toronyi, Andrea Tompa, Gábor Vida, Kinga Júlia Király, Klára Szarka, and Lenke Szilágyi. As the third event in the eight-part series From a Certain Distance, writer Andrea Tompa will lead an unconventional guided tour and discussion, guiding the visitors to the sources of her novels. 

From a Certain Distance. A Dialogue with the Legacy of Lajos Erdélyi
A walking tour among photos and archival documents, 70 minutes

Writer Andrea Tompa guides visitors through her homeland as she presents her favorites from among 200 photos. She and her characters are at home in this world, in Romania, Transylvania, and Székely Land: in beautiful, bucolic, dilapidated, violently industrialized, brutalized cities and landscapes. They live here, they come from here, they are familiar with the customs and gestures.

Andrea Tompa is the first novelist to bring Lajos Erdélyi into pop culture, immortalizing him as a character in her novel, Sokszor nem halunk meg (Often we Don't Die, Jelenkor, 2023). In her story, Laló takes photos at a theater exam performance, and captures the lead actress, Tilda, and her mother on camera. The description records not only the photo shoot, but also the well-composed image: 'Someone in the hallway shouts: group photo! It's Lajos, the college photographer, Lajos Erdélyi. He walks past the door, then steps back, adjusts something on his camera, and clicks. Stop! he shouts and clicks again. Erzsi freezes at his command, Tilda smiles broadly. Two half heads next to each other, two more halves in the mirror, four halves in total.' Andrea Tompa will contribute reflections during the conversational guided tour, which may resonate with readers of her novels.

The event will be held in Hungarian.

Participation in the program is free, but registration is required.

Registration link: https://forms.office.com/e/CbQ80YSyZt