This CD was created for the 1999 Frankfurt Book Fair, whose special guest was Hungary and where the Museum was also able to set up an exhibition stall.

In 1859–1860, after several attempts, the author of the dramatic poem, Imre Madách (1823–1864), completed the version of his main work, The Tragedy of Man, in the form known today.

As its subtitle, Dramatic Poem, suggests, The Tragedy of Man is a dramatic poem, so analysts and critics have since its publication compared Madách’s work with other dramatic poems, mainly with Goethe’s Faust.

The first (excerpted) German translation was published two weeks after the original (in January 1862), and publications of complete translations started soon after the author’s death.

So far the drama has been published in 40 languages all together; there are more than ten translations in German (including incomplete texts), and eight different translations in English. The metric character (iambic verses) of the work has not been preserved in every translation.

Since 1883 it has been performed on stages all over the world (almost always in a shortened version due to its length).

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