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Harry
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Jan 08, 2020 08:14AM
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Harry wrote: "As for The Tragedy of Man, no recent English version seems to be available. I'll have to get it via Inter-library Loan."I'm stunned. I've seen it in bookshops.
The only reason I can imagine is that it's been reprinted here in Hungary, and only sent to shops here, for English-speaking people living in the country... :(
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Meanwhile, I've gone through the whole Hungarian shelf at my school library. Of the few remaining books, the one I may tackle next is The Apostle, by Sandor Petofi. I'm not sure I'll have patience for the poetry, but wish me luck.
The most recent one that I've managed to find was a 1988 edition. It's on the British Amazon.
Harry wrote: "It's not on Amazon, unfortunately. Meanwhile, I've gone through the whole Hungarian shelf at my school library. Of the few remaining books, the one I may tackle next is The Apostle, by Sandor Pet..."
Walt Whitman is said to have liked it. :) I did, as a teenager. It meant a lot to me then. Not really any more. It's too "extreme" for me now. But it's still required reading at schools, and worth reading, too.
I think there's a 95 edition here with a couple of copies in the USAhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Tragedy-Man-...
Stephen wrote: "I think there's a 95 edition here with a couple of copies in the USAhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Tragedy-Man-..."
Oh, I found the same thing with an earlier publication date. :)) Good job!
Stephen wrote: "I think there's a 95 edition here with a couple of copies in the USAhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Tragedy-Man-..."
Good job indeed! :) That's the edition I've seen, too. There should be more recent reprints, but if you can find only this one, it will also be perfect enough. :)
I've moved a couple of countries to the left of late. Reading lots of German literature and even some poetry in translation. But I'll be back to Hungary soon enough.Harry have you read any Zsigmond Móricz or Dezső Kosztolányi?
Mod
Thanks for the info about these two additional writers. Both Gold in the Mud: A Hungarian Peasant Novel and Skylark look very interesting.
Dear Krisztina,
I read The Apostle in one sitting and found it somewhat depressing and as you say extreme, because wealth and goodness are inversely proportional. It was very thought-provoking, though. The confusion of wage labor with slavery, which I've noticed in Thoreau and Gandhi, is in evidence in The Apostle. Also, the whole idea of "the apostle" -- Sylvester's determination to be "teacher and father" to the poor, is also, uh, something I've noticed before.
Have either of you nice people heard of Companion in Exile, by Ferenc Molnár?
'fraid not.Skylark is excellent if you enjoy as I do the evocation of turn of the Century country life.
As I thought Molnar wrote The Paul Street Boys which I still haven't read. It's comforting to realise that there's always another book to read. The shame is only that I didn't start reading a bit earlier.
I can't find Companion in Exile here but note that it's autobiographical. Yet another Hungarian displaced by war, it looks interesting but not necessarily for that reason.
Sorry I found it here but strangely the only review seems to be from a Hungarian complaining that the Hungarian translation is very poor. It was written in New York, I wonder what language he originally wrote it in?
Harry wrote: "Have either of you nice people heard of Companion in Exile, by Ferenc Molnár?"Not yet. I know his "children's epic", we read it at school, but I didn't like it much at the time, it was so very different from my life that I simply couldn't understand the motivations of the children. I reread it as an adult, and quite liked it. But I very much prefer his comedies. Both cheerful and bitter. When I can see there's going to be a performance in town, I always go and watch it.
Skylark is great as an evocation of country life, yes. It's also a psychological novel. Kosztolányi is great at psychology, and also a master of language. I don't like Gold in the Mud, though, it's more of an experiment than a novel for me, but I'm not the person you should listen to, I don't like Móricz's work in general, except for Árvácska, and I'm not sure there's an English translation of that book. (There's a Vietnamese one, though, which I've just discovered to my greatest astonishment.)
I have to go with Krisztina here, I don't like Móricz's work in general either. There are so many other wonderful (Hungarian) books to read :). Let's jump a good few decades: have you ever read anything from Péter Esterházy?But Kosztolányi is wonderful, I particularly loved Skylark, mostly because of its psychological side. Interestingly (mostly for me, of course) I always enjoyed more the work of the novelist Kosztolányi as opposed to the poet's.
As of the Companion in Exile, I have never heard of it before and, judging by that single review, if I will ever read it, it will be in English.
I tried a few pages of Eszterházy's A Little Hungarian Pornography many years ago and found it utterly impenetrable and dare I say rather pretentious. Perhaps I should try again but it seems to me that a work that depends to a large extent upon abstract use of language is going to struggle in translation.Móricz's themes by comparison work well.
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Companion in Exile seems to be held by my school library almost by a fluke. I don't see it mentioned anywhere else, and it is not on Amazon. It appears to be a diary, and it looks fairly interesting.
I will certainly put Skylark on my list.
It may be a while before I get back to Hungary, though, because I've decided to finish Amadis of Gaul: Books III and IV. I'm enjoying it, although I waited too long since finishing the first half, and I've forgotten many of the supporting characters and sub-plots.
After Amadis, I may also decide to read a Hungarian history book I ordered called The Hungarians: A Thousand Years of Victory in Defeat.
Harry wrote: "Dear Friends,Companion in Exile seems to be held by my school library almost by a fluke. I don't see it mentioned anywhere else, and it is not on Amazon. It appears to be a diary, and it looks fa..."
Oh, I want to read Amadis of Gaul this year, too! I've planned three classical chivalric romances for 2020, and it's one of them! It will probably be the last, though, with Tales of the White Knight and The Saga of Didrik of Bern queuing up before it.
I'm looking forward to your review on that history book.
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Thanks for the two chivalric titles. I wasn't sure where I would go next in the genre.
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Harry wrote: "PS. Krisztina (I know your name is not spelled Christina), please kindly advise the author of White Knight. I'm getting a lot of miscellaneous stuff out of Amazon."No problem. :)
The author is Joanot Martorell. It was originally written in Catalan. This is an English-language edition: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
I'm going to buy it as an e-book.
Mod
Stephen wrote: "I tried a few pages of Eszterházy's A Little Hungarian Pornography many years ago and found it utterly impenetrable and dare I say rather pretentious. Perhaps I should try again but it seems to me ..."It's true, without good enough translations many of his books would not work well. Little Hungarian Pornography isn't, perhaps, the best one to try Esterházy. His last novel which is more a journal-novel would be a good read but I don't see it translated yet in English. I can definitely recommend Celestial Harmonies, mostly the second part. There you could see how a great writer he was (the translation should be good), not pretentious at all, just worlds apart from Móricz :).
Mod
Thanks! This is all good stuff.
Harry wrote: "Dear Fioka,Thanks! This is all good stuff."
Dear Harry,
Hopefully you'll enjoy it when you will get the chance. He is one of my favourite writers, I have to admit that. :)
a second on Celestial Harmonies, masterpiece!
Thanks fioka that looks like a book I’d enjoy reading.Strange news today. I recently acquired Hungarian citizenship, why have one passport when it’s possible to have two?
But now my wife has decided she wants to move back to Budapest and apparently I’m invited.
So barring any unforeseen difficulties, it looks like I’ll be returning to Hungary as a citizen.
I’m very happy. Always felt more at home there than here in England.
Stephen wrote: "Thanks fioka that looks like a book I’d enjoy reading.Strange news today. I recently acquired Hungarian citizenship, why have one passport when it’s possible to have two?
But now my wife has decid..."
Congratulations on your new citizenship and enjoy your new life! :)
Life is strange, I always felt exactly the opposite: more at home here in England than ever in Hungary.
I'm sure you'll enjoy this book, Stephen.
Mod
Congratulations on your transition (or your lack of transition, if I read your message correctly).
Dear All,
Thanks for the recommendation of Celestial Harmonies and other books and writers. I'm looking forward to enjoying them all.
Stephen wrote: "Thanks fioka that looks like a book I’d enjoy reading.Strange news today. I recently acquired Hungarian citizenship, why have one passport when it’s possible to have two?
But now my wife has decid..."
Congratulations. :) All the best for your life here. :)
Mod
I'm almost finished Amadis of Gaul, and then I'll return to Hungary with The Door.
I'm sure we are all living in conditions of great inconvenience and anxiety, and I hope you are all healthy and sane. I miss our discussions of good literature. I hope this dark cloud lifts soon.
Best wishes to all,
Harry
Dear Harry, That is very thoughtful of you, thank you! Stay safe and healthy, keep reading good books, we'll get through this.
Very best wishes,
F.
Harry wrote: "Dear Friends,I'm almost finished Amadis of Gaul, and then I'll return to Hungary with The Door.
I'm sure we are all living in conditions of great inconvenience and anxiety, and I hope you are al..."
You're so kind, thank you.
And I'm sure you'll love The Door.
I wish you the best, too.
Mod
Now I'm in The Door.
Good health and best wishes to all.
Mod
I've finished and reviewed The Door. It was very moving and thought-provoking.
I will detour away from Hungary for a while, starting with The Shakespeare Requirement, but I'll be back, with one of the books you've suggested above, assuming the library ever opens again.
I hope you are all happy and healthy.
Harry wrote: "Dear Friends,I've finished and reviewed The Door. It was very moving and thought-provoking.
I will detour away from Hungary for a while, starting with [book:The Shakespeare Requirement|38885815..."
Thank you!!!
I purchased a copy of Celestial Harmonies some time ago and intimidated by its size, I left it sitting on my book shelf until a couple of days ago. Silly me, it’s very accessible and not at all pretentious. I love the whole expansive father thing which he uses as a device to jump about at random between all his various male ancestors. I wonder if I’ll enjoy the more linear part 2 as much as this slightly abstract part 1?Didn’t take as readily to The Tragedy Of Man which I began and then put aside but I’ll definitely try again later.
On a lighter note, I picked up a Hungarian translation of Erich Kastner’s “A Két Lotte” which I bought for my daughter Lotte many years ago and found I could actually read it.
Stephen wrote: "I purchased a copy of Celestial Harmonies some time ago and intimidated by its size, I left it sitting on my book shelf until a couple of days ago. Silly me, it’s very accessible and not at all pre..."Part 2 is even easier to read. In fact, my cousin often recommends it as a first book by Esterházy, and she always says you should start with Part 2. It's the kind of book that allows such a strange kind of reading.
Congratulations to reading Kästner, it really shows your skills. :)
Stephen wrote: "I purchased a copy of Celestial Harmonies some time ago and intimidated by its size, I left it sitting on my book shelf until a couple of days ago. Silly me, it’s very accessible and not at all pre..."I'd been yearning for Esterházy's words for some weeks but couldn't decide which one of his works to read next (I only read three of them to date). Finally, I started reading a collection of excerpts on his birthday. Just finished it a moment ago and decided Harmonia Caelestis should be the next one (not right away, probably, but definitely the next EP).
Timár_Krisztina wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I purchased a copy of Celestial Harmonies some time ago and intimidated by its size, I left it sitting on my book shelf until a couple of days ago. Silly me, it’s very accessible an..."I agree with you and always proceed as your cousin does when asked about which one should be the first Esterházy-read. Sometimes people don't believe me and will pursue with the first part nonetheless, get lost in all the intertextualities and tell me that it was a horribly confusing read. I think that Celestial Harmonies is a marvellous book and it is my favourite Esterházy.
Stephen wrote: "I purchased a copy of Celestial Harmonies some time ago and intimidated by its size, I left it sitting on my book shelf until a couple of days ago. Silly me, it’s very accessible and not at all pre..."Great choice! :)
blueisthenewpink wrote: "Stephen wrote: "I purchased a copy of Celestial Harmonies some time ago and intimidated by its size, I left it sitting on my book shelf until a couple of days ago. Silly me, it’s very accessible an..."Most definitely! I also find his collections of essays greatly enjoyable.
Well it was your recommendation originally fiòka :)
and I’m quite happy getting lost in part 1, it’s all part of the fun because it’s a great translation and the humour comes through well.
Stephen wrote: "Well it was your recommendation originally fiòka :)"ooops, I have completely forgotten about this! :D
I'm really happy that you are enjoying it, I am very fond of this book (OK, I'll not say this again).
Mod
Thanks! I was looking back recently and saw how many great books, including Celestial Harmonies, I'd like to read immediately...but if the library doesn't open soon, I'm sunk.
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Mod
It's good reading so far.
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I remember it seemed to be obscure, the last time we discussed it; but I hope you can track it down and give it a try.
Hi Harry! I will check out your recommendation. I’m half way through Rejtő Jenő’s “The Blonde Hurricane” and I’m liking it so far. A friend told me Rejtő’s style is similar to Antal Szerb’s and I do see it, although I do prefer Szerb to be honest. Hopefully today I can purchase “Journey by Moonlight”.
P.S. Sometimes the app deletes words or letters after I post so forgive my “bad” grammar.
Viki
Mod
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll put Rejtő Jenő ( P. Howard) on my list.
I'm really grateful for this club. I don't think I'll ever run out of good things to read.
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