My Hungarian Könyvespolc (Bookshelf)
As mentioned in my entry about my literary escapade in Budapest, I gathered some names while traveling. There’s a great list of Hungarian writers on Wikipedia; my list isn’t here to compete with what Wikipedia can provide. It’s a personal list, a reminder of the names that caught my eyes.
I visited Mór Jókai’s residence in Balatonfüred where I learnt he was the most famous Hungarian writer of the 19th century.
As I’d never heard of him, I had to check him out later on. Only Rêve et vie is available in French but he did write a lot of novels. I wonder why they aren’t translated.
I’ve also visited the Petőfi Sándor museum. Sándor Petőfi (1823-1849) was something like the Hungarian Lermontov (1814-1841). Both were poets, died young and were in the military. Sándor Petőfi was a renowned poet and only 26 when he disappeared during the war following the Hungarian revolution of 1848. He’s considered as Hungary’s national poet. I’m curious about his poetry –although he’s a Romantic—but I wonder how Hungarian poetry can be successfully translated into French without losing too much.
Of course, I spent some time in a bookstore and came back with books:
I’m looking forward to read them, especially Colours and Years because it’s written by a woman. Apart from these, my TBR of Hungarian literature consists of a few other novels:
- Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb
- Oliver VII by Antal Szerb
- Epépé by Férenc Kárinthy
- N.N. by Gyula Krúdy that I intend to read with Passage à l’Est in July
- Fateless by Imre Kertész that I’ll read in September with Caroline
I know I should read The Door by Magda Szabó and Satantango by László Krasznahorkai but every time I’ve had them in hand in a bookstore, I’ve put them down. Dark and daunting. I’m not sure they’re for me. I’d rather read Journey Around My Skull by Frigyes Kárinthy.
Here’s a list of writers I want to explore, the problem is time, time, time…
| Writer | In English | In French | |
| Endre Ady | 1877-1919 | Neighbours of the Night. Selected Short Stories | |
| Iván Bächer | 1957-2013 | Magyar Menu | |
| Miklos Banffy | 1973-1950 | The Transilvania Trilogy | La Trilogie de Transylvanie |
| Adam Biro | Two Jews on a Train: Stories from the Old Country and the New.One Must Also Be Hungarian | Deux Juifs voyagent dans un train | |
| Peter Esterházy | 1950- | The Glance of Countess Hahn-Hahn (down the Danube)Celestial HarmoniesShe Loves Me | L’œillade de la comtesse Hahn-HahnHarmonia cælestisUne femme |
| Géza Gardonyi | 1963-1922 | Eclipse of the Crescent Moon | |
| Mór Jókai | 1825-1904 | The Man With The Golden Touch | Rêve et vie |
| Margit Kaffka | 1880-1918 | Colours and Years. A Novel | Couleurs et années |
| Győrgy Konrád | 1933- | The Case Worker | Départ et retour |
| Endre Kukorelly | 1951- | – | Je flânerai un peu moins |
| Gyula Krúdy | 1878-1933 | The Charmed Life of Kázmér RezedaThe Adventures of Sinbad | N.N. |
| André Lorant | – | Le perroquet de Budapest : une enfance revisitée | |
| Kálmán Mikszáth | 1847-1910 | St Peter’s Umbrella. A Novel | Le parapluie de Saint Pierre |
| Ferenc Mólnar | 1878-1952 | The Paul Street Boys | Les gens de la rue Paul (jeunesse)Liliom ou la vie et la mort d’un vaurien pour le moment. (théâtre) |
| Zsigmond Móricz | 1879-1942 | RelationsBe Faithful Unto Death | L’épouse rebelle |
| Péter Nádas | 1942- | Parallel Stories | Histoires parallèles |
| Petőfi Sándor | 1823-1849 | Selection From Poems | Nuages |
| János Székely | 1901-1958 | – | L’Enfant du DanubeLes infortunes de Svoboda |
| Lajos Zilahy | The Dukays | Les Dukays |
If someone is interested, you can find my billets about Hungarian books filed under the category Hungarian literature. (Sándor Márai, István Örkény, Zsigmond Móricz, Dezső Kosztolányi, Frigyes Karinthy, Antal Szerb, Milán Füst)
Do you know any of these writers? If yes which ones and who would you recommend?
Book Around the Corner 
I’ve read Journey by Moonlight. Liked it but it was a little too romantic for me. I looked up The Dukays and saw that this is a trilogy. Are you going to tackle all three books?
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Will I read the three books? Yes if I like the first one well enough.
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It seems to be available in English in a version that includes all three books. I noticed that it was 800 plus pages so I emailed the publisher and they confirmed that the book includes all three in the trilogy.
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That’s good to know. From Anna Amundsen’s comments below, it really seems like a great read.
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What a great post, Emma. It seems like I should look more closely into Hungarian literature.
When I was young I got a book by Fodor Sandor as a birthday present. It was about a giant dwarf who lived in a forest and the illustrations were so beautiful, I still remember them. Wikipedia tells me the original name of the book is Csipike, az óriás törpe (Cipi, this giant dwarf – my translation).
I’m so envious you got to visit Budapest.
I’ve added The Door to my TBR. I love “dark and daunting” and it seems to be something I would enjoy. The Transilvania Trilogy was recommended to me a while back. I want to read that too. I think I need to go shopping for more books soon. 🙂
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Thanks Delia. I haven’t heard of Fodor Sandor. Do you speak Hungarian?
I’m not sure I’ll ever start Szabó and Krasznahorkai. I don’t I’m the right reader for their books.
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I don’t speak Hungarian, Emma, but there are communities of Hungarians in Romania, especially in the western part of the country, near the border with Hungary. I used to hear the language quite often when I visited my relatives who live in that area.
If that’s how you feel, you’re probably right. Life’s too short to spend it reading books we might not enjoy.
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I didn’t know you were from Romania, that makes sense.
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Ah, I love this. I love visiting writer’s houses, even if I have never even heard of them.
I think your instinct is right – Krasznahorkai would be no fun for you, at least the four I have read. Banffy sounds more like your kind of writer. Still, who knows. So much to explore on your list.
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I love visiting writers’ houses too and like you, even if I don’t know the writer. Unfortunately for me, a lot of things were only written in Hungarian in both museums. (especially the Petőfi Sándor museum)
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I’m also planning to read Miklos Banffy’s Transylvania trilogy (after all, I have family and friends in Transylvania), but first I have to find it… not so easy.
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It’s available in French and not even OOP…
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Nice post, Emma. I’ve read Journey by Moonlight, which I liked a great deal. Have you read Szerb’s The Pendragon Legend? I started with Pendragon, but Journey is my favourite of the two Szerb novels I’ve read so far. There’s something very wistful about it. You’ll enjoy it, I think.
Satantango is unlike anything else I’ve ever read. Very dark, but brilliant, and certain scenes remain etched in my memory…
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I’ve read and written a billet about The Pendragon Legend. Excellent book. (Max reviewed it as well)
I’m looking forward to reading Journey by Moonlight.
So you liked Satantango too. Hmm. You make me think about it again.
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Satantango is extraordinary, but it’s a dense read. I seem to recall Max referring to it as a mudslide of a novel, which is pretty spot on! It’s also a drunken dance of a novel – the characters get through copious quantities of palinka, a potent fruit brandy.
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I’ve read Max’s review and although it sounded like a great book, it seemed more like something I should read than something I’d want to read.
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I love these lists. They make me realize just how many worthy writers exist out there.
Such lists do also frustrate me. There is so little time to read.
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I know. I feel the same about these lists. It’s like being in a great restaurant where the whole menu is appealing and yet, you have to choose one dish…
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Great. I’m less frustrated that I may not have time to read all those than that I may not ever get to Budapest. Now that would be a disappointment.
I have read works by a few of those names and have others on the to be read pile, but most are a mystery to me. I did read Mór Jókai’s short novel (The Tower of Dago), and while I didn’t think it was great, it had an incomparable atmosphere that has stuck with me. How great that you visited his house! The Esterházy Danube book I found tedious and disappointing, but what do I know?
Finally, at this point, I’m sure I don’t need to mention again my enthusiasm for Bánffy, but there – I just did.
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I hope you’ll have the opportunity to visit Budapest one of these days. It’s worth the trip.
Mór Jókai spent 19 years of this life in this house and a lot of writers were invited. He stopped living there when his wife died, it was too painful to live there without her.
I love visiting these places.
To be honest, I’m less attracted by Hungarian books written after WWII. I think I’ll start Esterházy with Une femme. Less daunting.
Thanks again for reminding me about Bánffy.
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Thoughtful and informative post, Emma, thank you. I very much liked Kertész, Esterházy, and Nádas. Not quite as much with Konrád, but I think that may have been the specific book – I need to read something else by him. Look forward to reading what you and Caroline think about Fateless.
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I’m not looking forward to reading Fateless because the theme of the book is difficult and upsetting. So I’m glad Caroline organises this readalong, it will push me to read it. I expect it to be good.
Which Esterházy would you recommend?
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I loved Celestial Harmonies, with so many stories going on and the Esterhazy family history folded into it, but it is a doorstop of a book. The Book of Hrabal is also wonderful, a wife in a quandary, angels who could be mistaken for secret service agents, and God taking sax lessons from Charlie Parker.
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Thanks.
Hmm I’m not sure about a book where God is taking sax lessons. Usually that kind of things puts me off. I’m sticking with Une femme for the first book.
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That one I’ve haven’t read – hope you enjoy it!
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I really enjoyed Gyula Krúdy’s “Sinbad,” but my favorite on the list that I’ve read is “Relations” by Zsigmond Móricz. I would now list it as one my favorite books, all-time. (I read the Corvina edition you pictured.)
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How exciting to know that about Relations. I really liked his novel L’épouse rebelle. He’s got a great style and I loved his sense of humour.
The three books I bought are published by Corvina.
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Thanks for the great list, Emma! Margit Kaffka has been on my list of authors to check out already for a while, but so far I haven’t managed to lay hands on any of her books in a language that I can read – and they aren’t few! The German editions have been out of print for nearly fifty years 😦
I also know some of the other names on your list, but not too many as a matter of fact. What a shame considering that Hungary is Austria’s neighbour!
I’m already curious to read what you will have to say about Peter Esterházy. He’s quite popular here and just brought out a new novel in a German edition: “Die Mantel-und-Degen-Version” (“Egyszerű történet vessző száz oldal – a kardozós változat“). I haven’t read anything by him yet, but he made it on my TBR list with this historical novel.
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The three books I bought in English are published by Corvina. Maybe it can help you find them. Couleurs et Années is available in French, in kindle version.
To be honest, I’m not sure I’ll like Peter Esterházy. That’s why I want to start with Une femme.
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Thanks for the suggestions! I’ve already come across books published by Corvina during several online researches – also in German, but it seems that they aren’t available through my usual channels, ie I can’t order them here. Besides, I checked again and there’s one book of hers availabe in German translation. It has been published in Vienna in 2009. 🙂
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I hope you’ll manage to put you hands on the one you want.
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Great list about books I would never have found! I enjoy discovering books from another country and will look at our link to Hungarian Literature.
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Thanks Nancy. If you’ve never read any Hungarian writer, I recommend Skylark by Deszö Kosztolanyi. It’s marvelous.
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Wonderful….I see that Skylark is available on the Kindle. I will order it now. It will be my first Hungarian author!
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Great. There’s a billet about it on my blog, if you’re interested.
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…I will vist asap!
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Hello Emma,
this is a great list, I must say.
I heartily recommend ‘The Paul Street Boys’ – it is one of those wonderful childhood books that stays with you for the rest of your life. Whenever I see it or am reminded of it, I have a smile on my face.
Lajos Zilahy is another recommendation. I had his complete works for ten years or so when I decided it was time to pick up ‘The Ducays’. (Before it I only read ‘A fegyverek visszanéznek’ [ruffly: ‘The Weapons Strike Back’] and remembered I liked it) The trilogy is a bit uneven but still well worth reading. Upon reading the first book, ‘The Ducays’, I had to read the rest as well, because I grew fond of the family and his writing. Hope you’ll enjoy it too.
Best,
Anna
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I had a good feeling about the Paul Street Boys.
As for the Ducays, I expect something like Les dames du Faubourg, a nice saga. Is it easy to read? (like a good Beach & Public transports book)
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I haven’t read Les dames du Faubourg so I cannot compare, but it certainly is a great saga. Very easy to read; very humorous.. (the first part, that is; the second and the third are a bit tougher, of course, because of the war)
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Sounds like a perfect summer read!!
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Satantango was my book of the year for 2012, but it is very, very dark. You have to be in the mood for that.
Szerb is one of my favourite writers.
I have the Banffys, but haven’t tried him yet. Looks good though.
The Door as you probably know I thought was fairly terrible.
Otherwise, great list. I am a bit jealous, Hungarian literature is much more widely translated into French than English I think.
Oh! I’ve read some Krudy short stories, he’s good. Apparently there’s a word for the tone he sets, Krudyesque, a kind of gentle wistfulness or something. I’ve not read enough yet to have a good feel for exactly what it means so I may have got that slightly wrong.
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Thanks Max. You’ve tried several of the authors on the list, you’ve read quite a few Hungarian books.
I don’t know if there are more Hungarian books translated into French. They don’t translate the same ones, that’s all.
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Oh – you had a wonderful stay! I love to visit author’s or painter’s houses as well.
And the list is most useful. I have a few of the books you mention but only a very few.
I’m so tempted to read the Banffy and downloaded the trilogy for only 2.99 (Euro). But it’s so long. I have a feeling that there’s even more translated into German than into French.
Thanks for the link, Emma.
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We did have a wonderful stay.
The Banffy trilogy sounds fantastic but like you the length holds me back.
There’s a good chance that you find more books available in German. I’d say “lucky you” but I still have a nice pile to read before I can complain about not having enough books in French.
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I’ve got a few authors, I haven’t come across in other translations Erno Szep.
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Wonderful post and project. I’ve read Sandor, Kertesz and I have one book by Nadas on my shelf. You’ve introduced me to new Hungarian authors. Thanks!
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Thanks Kinna.
Which ones did you read and which one do you have on the shelf?
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