Read up on Hungary
One of the best and most intimate ways to learn about a country is by exploring its literature. Hungary has its fair share of renowned authors at home, but few of its classics can be found on the bookshelves of the world. This is a shame, Hungarian history offers plenty of fascinating subject matter and the Magyar mentality makes for writing that is in turns amusing and poignant.
Fateless (Sorstalanság), Imre Kertész
Perhaps Hungary's best known novel, Fateless shot to prominence when Kertész was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. The book is written from the naïve yet reflective perspective of a fourteen year old Jewish boy first observing the disappearance of friends and relatives and then experiencing the horrors of the Holocaust first hand. The shocking, first-person account has since been adapted into a film.
The Paul Street Boys (Pál utcai fiúk), Ferenc Molnár
A cult children's book with endearing charm for older readers, PUF is the tale of a group of children spending holidays playing in an empty plot of land. When a rival, older gang lays claim to their playground, the plot takes a heartbreaking twist, but a theme of comradeship, bravery and selflessness is present throughout. The book is not available online, but English translations can be found in most Budapest bookshops.
Embers (A gyertyák csonkig égnek), Sándor Márai
Originally published in 1942, Embers enjoyed brief success before World War II came to Hungary, but was not published again until 1990, after the fall of Communism. It has since been translated into Italian, German and English to great critical acclaim. The book is one of the few to explore the close bond of male friendship and plays out against the background of Hungary's economic boom in the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. An adaptation will soon be hitting London's West End.
Fall of the Crescent Moon (Egri csillagok), Géza Gárdonyi
The legendary tale of Eger's resistance to the Turkish invasion the mid-16th century was magnificently captured by Gárdonyi and remains compulsory and arresting reading for Hungarian children even today. The ultimate patriotic book, Fall of the Crescent Moon is a story of fierce loyalty, heroic leadership and victory against all odds.
Under the Frog, Tibor Fisher
Written by one of Britain's favourite authors, but one who has Hungarian parents and an unmistakably Hungarian name, Under the Frog chronicles the run-up to the 1956 revolution through the eyes of a young basketball player. Gyuri's sporting prowess allows him to travel the country and live a relatively privileged and fancy-free life. He collects some amusing and memorable anecdotes along the way, but ultimately decides to flee his oppressed homeland.
The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, Julian Rubinstein
This is the side-splitting English adaptation of the long-running, uniquely Hungarian saga of Attila Ambrus, the professional ice hockey player turned bank robber and national comic hero. Not only does Rubinstein – an American journalist – recount one of the world's most bizarre true stories, he also captures the chaotic economic and political zeitgeist of post-Communist Hungary. If rumours are to be believed, a film starring Johnny Depp is also in the pipeline.
Budapest Now and Then, Imre Móra
Imre Móra, a former lawyer with a piercing sense of humour, has compiled a comprehensive collection of anecdotes that shed light on some of the quirkier aspects of Budapest life as it is today. As interesting for fresh-faced visitors as it is for long-term residents, Budapest Now and Then is like a guided tour given by a close friend.
Budapest 1900, John Lukács
A historical essay exploring Hungary's golden age in cultural, economic and political terms and an analysis of the events leading up to World War I. Brilliantly written and highly perceptive, Budapest 1900 provides a rich understanding of the Hungarian capital's economic and cultural zenith, and adds fascinating historical context to any visit.
