I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but earlier this year a surprise new contender for the title of "Lilah's Favorite Author" has appeared on the scene: the late, great Hungarian writer Magda Szabó. Born in 1917, she lived through the great upheavals of the 20th century, and brings a preoccupation with the lasting trauma of Hungary's recent history and a deeply perceptive and psychologically rich eye for character to her work. I've read three books by her so far this year, but have already bought all five of her novels currently in print in English! The books, in the order I've read them:
The Door
I bought this last year on a staff recommendation from a nearby bookstore but didn't get around to reading it until March, and reader, let me tell you, that was my loss. The Door is widely regarded as Szabó's masterpiece and is perhaps the first book I've ever read that felt like getting run over by a truck (positive). It's about the deep relationship that forms between a writer and her older housekeeper in communist Hungary and its consequences, a clash between the Hungary of the present and the Hungary of the past. The housekeeper, Emerence, is vivid and real in a way that's truly rare, and I'd argue she should be cited as one of the great literary characters of all time. This book is a cool 200-or-so pages and when I put it down I had that rare and elusive feeling of certainty that this was one of the very best books I've ever read. I refuse to say more to protect the experience for others but if you only read one Magda Szabó book, make it this one.
Abigail
Szabó's most popular novel in her native Hungary, Abigail is a boarding school novel set during the height of WWII, following a general's daughter as she's mysteriously and unexpectedly sent to a strict Calvinist boarding school. There the girls are convinced of the power of a mysterious statue named "Abigail", claiming that she answers calls for help from the students. Of the Szabó novels I've read this one is the most straightforwardly exciting, featuring all the suspense, mystery, danger and romantic entanglements you'd want from a boarding school novel. It's also thrillingly political in its explorations of growing up during wartime, finding joy in repressive environments and the small but valuable impact individuals can have resisting fascism. Absolutely a delight that deserves its classic status. Harry Potter fucking wishes it could be this good
Katalin Street
Katalin Street, like The Door, is an utter gut-punch. It follows the children of three families who grow up side-by-side on Katalin Street, across 34 years and the death of one of them, a Jewish girl named Henriette, during WWII. Henriette's death (and her literal ghost) haunts the book, shattering forwards and backwards through the characters' remembrances. It's a book about lives unlived, potential unfulfilled, the trap of nostalgia and memory, the violence of history and the hollowing effects of trauma. It's a deeply sad but also a deeply beautiful book, emotionally affecting and wonderfully written and stylistically exciting in its structure. I couldn't put it down, even when it made me feel like an emotional punching bag.
Still to come
Szabó wrote many novels but only five of them are currently in print in English thanks to the good folks at NYRB Classics (my favorite publisher right now, apparently). I've still got Iza's Ballad and The Fawn coming up, and I genuinely can't wait to read them