Brain Bar Books is launching under the auspices of Libri Publishing 

Brain Bar and Libri Publishing are launching a joint book series. Brain Bar Books brings to Hungarian readers nonfiction and popular science works by international thinkers who examine the scientific, social, and cultural phenomena of our time from new perspectives. The first three authors in the series—Martin Jan Stránský, Keith Hayward, and Sheehan Quirke—ask the same question from the perspectives of the human mind, adulthood, and culture: what are we to make of a world that is becoming increasingly problematic in so many ways?

• The author of the first three volumes of the Brain Bar Books series will personally present the series on September 17 at the Hungarian House of Music at Brain Bar.

• Martin Jan Stránský, Keith Hayward, and Sheehan Quirke will meet with the Hungarian audience on the Brain Bar main stage starting at 3:20 p.m. The discussion will also be available to watch via livestream.

• Following the stage performance, starting at 4:15 p.m., the authors will be signing copies at the Libri Pop-Up bookstore set up in Városliget. The bookstore is open to the public without an admission ticket throughout the festival. 

We rarely have to think things through at length or gather information from multiple sources on a topic anymore: we can just ask the algorithm, and the answer arrives in seconds. But what happens to our attention, our independence, our knowledge, and ultimately our adulthood in a world that is becoming faster, more convenient, and algorithm-driven with each passing day? 

Three Thinkers in a Changing World

In his book *The Rise and Fall of the Human Mind*, neuroscientist Martin Jan Stránský examines the interactions between technology and the human mind through the lens of neuroscience. The Yale University professor explores how the use of the internet, smartphones, and, above all, social media is changing our concentration, our learning processes, and our thinking—and what consequences this may have on both an individual and societal level.

Keith Hayward, a professor of criminology at the University of Copenhagen, examines contemporary culture in his book *Our Infantilized World*. Through the transformation of the media, the history of advertising, and the rise of major brands, he shows how and why it has become increasingly difficult to leave childhood behind, and what happens to a society when the independence and responsibility that come with adulthood become less and less appealing.

Sheehan Quirke’s book *The Cultural Mentor* is a culture shock—in the best sense of the word. Under the pseudonym The Cultural Tutor, Quirke has built an international following of millions through his writings on ancient Greek architecture, Renaissance painting, history, and the connections underlying humanity’s greatest milestones. The author first revealed his identity publicly on the Brain Bar stage. Now, through 49 short lessons, he argues that erudition never goes out of style.

“Life sciences, social sciences, the arts—Brain Bar Books promises only one thing, but it does so with confidence: with these three books, anyone can become an even better, more engaging conversationalist—someone from whom both people and machines can learn,” said Gergely Böszörményi-Nagy, founder of Brain Bar.

The book doesn’t do the thinking for us

The first three volumes of Brain Bar Books remind us that, even as technology sets an ever-faster pace, reading continues to provide space for deep reflection and independent interpretation. Perhaps this is one of its greatest values: it does not relieve us of the task of thinking for ourselves. 

“Anything that provides answers too readily and undermines the importance of individual decision-making is suspect. This book is not like that: instead of offering ready-made answers, it encourages reflection, and, given the reader’s lack of knowledge, it cannot flatter them either. When certainty is just a click away, reading still allows us the freedom not to know, yet the responsibility for judgment remains ours. This is uncomfortable, but a well-considered position cannot be formed any other way.That is why Libri, in collaboration with Brain Bar, is making the ideas of international authors available in Hungarian—authors who do not hide the world’s contradictions but rather bring them into focus,” said Ákos Zulik, Deputy CEO for Strategy and Operations at Libri-Bookline.

The three authors will kick off the series at this year’s Brain Baron

The launch of Brain Bar Books is made even more special by the fact that the authors of the first three volumes will take the stage together at Brain Bar on September 17.

Martin Jan Stránský, Keith Hayward, and Sheehan Quirke will meet with the Hungarian audience at 3:20 p.m. at the Hungarian House of Music, on the Brain Bar main stage, for a discussion titled “Indul a Brain Bar Books.” The discussion will be moderated by Blanka Novák and will also be available via livestream.

Following the stage performance, all three authors will be signing books at the Libri Pop-Up bookstore starting at 4:15 p.m. The Libri Pop-Up, set up in Városliget, is open to the public on both days of Brain Bar even without a festival pass, and in addition to Brain Bar Books authors, it will also host book signings by other Hungarian and international authors.