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Embers Sándor Márai Carol Brown Janeway 9780375707421 Books

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Embers Sándor Márai Carol Brown Janeway 9780375707421 Books

Sandor Marai (1900 -- 1989) was a Hungarian novelist whose works have been rediscovered in recent years. His short novel "Embers" was published in 1942 and appeared in English, derived from a German text, in 1991.

Marai has written a compelling novel of passion, love, change, the passage of time, and the power of music. The book, set in the death of the Austro-Hungarian empire has an ornate, anachronistic tone. It centers around two elderly men, Henrik ("the General"), his friend Konrad, both 75 at the time of the narration, and Krisztina, the wife of Henrik, long-since deceased.

Henrik is a wealthy aristocrat whose family owns a large castle in the forests near Vienna. Konrad is from a poor family. As boys, the two form a seemingly fast friendship as students in a military academy in Vienna and become well-nigh inseparable through young adulthood. Konrad is said to be distantly related to Chopin and has a passion for music that Henrik cannot share. Early in the story, Konrad and Henrik's mother, a French aristocrat frustrated by her lonely life in the castle, play together Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie, a performance that Marai describes as "no more than a pretext to loose upon the world those forces that shake and explode the structures of order which man has devised to conceal what lies beneath." (p. 51) Music and its elemental passions are symbols both of what divides and what unites Konrad and Henrik.

Konrad introduces his friend to Krisztina, herself musical and the daughter of an aging and poor violinist. Henrik and Krisztina marry, but it becomes clear in the story that Krisztina never felt passionate love for her husband. The two men and Krisztina remain close until, Konrad tries to shoot Henrik on a hunting trip because he is involved in an affair with Krisztina but loses his nerve. Konrad abruptly leaves Vienna, and Krisztina and Henrik no longer live under the same roof until Krisztina dies eight years later. Forty-one years after they last have seen each other (1899), Konrad and Henrik meet again as, with WW II raging, Henrik has Konrad to the castle for dinner and reminiscing.

Roughly the first half of "Embers" carefully sets the stage for the meeting of the two old friends while the second half recounts their dinner on the fateful reunion evening. Henrik does most of the talking in long speeches that make clear the passion and the bitterness with which he has been plagued over the long intervening decades by his friend's and wife's betrayal. The book is filled with long, rancorous monologues as he relives the events of his life again and again. There is a great deal of dramatic tension, symbolism, and at the end a sense of realization.

At the end of the dinner, Henrik asks Konrad two questions which have plagued him over the years. The significant question he asks is:" Do you also believe that what gives our lives their meaning is the passion that suddenly invades us heart, soul, and body, and burns in us forever no matter what else happens in our lives?" (p. 210) The two men achieve a measure of peace as they realize that the passion they both had for Krisztina many years earlier was the source of sorrow and loss, but was also what had given their lives meaning. The theme of loss on this highly personal level is combined in "Embers" with a sense of changing from the aristocratic world of Austrio-Hungary to modernity.

This is a complex multi-layered novel that explores the power of passion in what it means to live a human life.

Robin Friedman


Tags : Embers [Sándor Márai, Carol Brown Janeway] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Originally published in 1942 and now rediscovered to international acclaim, this taut and exquisitely structured novel by the Hungarian master Sandor Marai conjures the melancholy glamour of a decaying empire and the disillusioned wisdom of its last heirs. In a secluded woodland castle an old General prepares to receive a rare visitor,Sándor Márai, Carol Brown Janeway,Embers,Vintage,0375707425,Reading Group Guide,Europe, Eastern,FICTION Classics,FICTION Literary,FICTION Romance Historical 20th Century,FICTION Thrillers Psychological,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,GENERAL,General Adult,Literary,LiteratureClassics,Literature: Classics,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Psychological fiction,Reminiscing in old age,Triangles (Interpersonal relations),classic;romance;love;literary fiction;romance books;classic literature;historical romance;thrillers;thriller;thriller books;romance novels;classic novels;classic books;suspense;psychological thrillers;suspense books;classics;fiction;novels;psychological thrillers books;fiction books;literature;mysteries and thrillers;books fiction;psychological thriller books;classics books;realistic fiction books;suspense thriller books;historical romance books;classic fiction;mystery thriller suspense,20th century; romance; german; classic literature; wwii; literary fiction; historical; french literature; fiction; fiction books; literature; thriller; historical romance; thrillers; thriller books; suspense; classic books; historical romance books; mystery thriller suspense; romance novels; classics; romance books; psychological thrillers books; suspense thriller books; mysteries and thrillers; psychological thriller books; suspense fiction; mystery and thriller; psychologica thrillers; french; classic; love

Embers Sándor Márai Carol Brown Janeway 9780375707421 Books Reviews

Embers takes place in the late ninetieth to early twentieth century somewhere in the Hungarian empire. It’s a story about love, friendship, loyalty, and betrayal, and how revenge can consume you if you let it.

I loved the philosophical messages along with the beautiful and descriptive prose. But the long-winded soliloquies make it easy for me to lose focus at times. Overall, this was a quick and enjoyable read.
The first half is promising, story gradually builds up with the unique Hungarian, Central European background. The two characters, representing the complexity of geopolitics and classes, are dark, with the shadow of tragedy. When the third character is added and the story gets even more ominous, the anticipation for the truth is great, makes the reader anxiously wait for the revelation. The second half is frustrating, feels repetitious and one sided and in the end I was disappointed. However, perhaps, the author designed the story deliberately to induce the frustration, and perhaps, that is the point--Hungary's place in the Central European politics. In that case, this book is worth reading.
This slim novel tells the story of two old friends who are meeting for the first time in forty one years after a falling out involving a woman. That is only the surface story however, there are layers of depth which will reward the reader who takes their time to linger over this brilliant work of art.
The two main characters are relics of the Hapsburg Empire and live with the knowledge that everything they worked for and believed in when they were young is dead and gone. There are several layers to this as the sense of life having passed them by while they put their energy into utter futility and foolishness is very strong. Regret and the wasting of one's life are very strong themes here.
This novel made me really think about life and what I am doing with my own life. I haven't felt this profoundly moved by a novel since I read "The Forsythe Saga" by John Galsworthy and I think the comparison is fair. Both novels deal with the regret of a wasted life. The pursuit of trifles and the neglect of relationships that really matter.
All in all I would say this novel is a deep and profound work of art that should be read by everybody. It is a crying shame that this author has been neglected for so long.
This is a book that my Hungarian friend gave me several years ago. I read it in 2 days & then immediately re-read it. On the surface it is a story about two men who have one of those terrible experiences that life likes to stage they both love the same woman. 42 tears later they have dinner & the husband dominates the evening with his almost rambling review of their experience. It's hard to go through because it's hard to empathize with either man as each detail comes to light. I just re-read this novel & I just hated getting to the end because I didn't want to go through the emotional impact of the final pages. There's such a profound sadness & sense of loss in those pages & it's so hard to have to read through it. On another level, I suspect that what you will read is a kind of grand metaphor of the common experience of what Hungarians went through after Trianon & the loss of the country & the many Hungarians who fled. The castle with all its rooms shut up could represent the lost land of the former Hungarian territory, forever partitioned off & closed up. On this level I think the story is far more historical & political which could make the story rather hard to understand if you the reader doesn't have a familiarity with the history of Hungary after WWI. I wouldn't say you can't get into this book without that knowledge because when I first read it I didn't & I still loved the book. It's my favorite of all the books I have read by Hungarian authors.
Sandor Marai (1900 -- 1989) was a Hungarian novelist whose works have been rediscovered in recent years. His short novel "Embers" was published in 1942 and appeared in English, derived from a German text, in 1991.

Marai has written a compelling novel of passion, love, change, the passage of time, and the power of music. The book, set in the death of the Austro-Hungarian empire has an ornate, anachronistic tone. It centers around two elderly men, Henrik ("the General"), his friend Konrad, both 75 at the time of the narration, and Krisztina, the wife of Henrik, long-since deceased.

Henrik is a wealthy aristocrat whose family owns a large castle in the forests near Vienna. Konrad is from a poor family. As boys, the two form a seemingly fast friendship as students in a military academy in Vienna and become well-nigh inseparable through young adulthood. Konrad is said to be distantly related to Chopin and has a passion for music that Henrik cannot share. Early in the story, Konrad and Henrik's mother, a French aristocrat frustrated by her lonely life in the castle, play together Chopin's Polonaise-Fantasie, a performance that Marai describes as "no more than a pretext to loose upon the world those forces that shake and explode the structures of order which man has devised to conceal what lies beneath." (p. 51) Music and its elemental passions are symbols both of what divides and what unites Konrad and Henrik.

Konrad introduces his friend to Krisztina, herself musical and the daughter of an aging and poor violinist. Henrik and Krisztina marry, but it becomes clear in the story that Krisztina never felt passionate love for her husband. The two men and Krisztina remain close until, Konrad tries to shoot Henrik on a hunting trip because he is involved in an affair with Krisztina but loses his nerve. Konrad abruptly leaves Vienna, and Krisztina and Henrik no longer live under the same roof until Krisztina dies eight years later. Forty-one years after they last have seen each other (1899), Konrad and Henrik meet again as, with WW II raging, Henrik has Konrad to the castle for dinner and reminiscing.

Roughly the first half of "Embers" carefully sets the stage for the meeting of the two old friends while the second half recounts their dinner on the fateful reunion evening. Henrik does most of the talking in long speeches that make clear the passion and the bitterness with which he has been plagued over the long intervening decades by his friend's and wife's betrayal. The book is filled with long, rancorous monologues as he relives the events of his life again and again. There is a great deal of dramatic tension, symbolism, and at the end a sense of realization.

At the end of the dinner, Henrik asks Konrad two questions which have plagued him over the years. The significant question he asks is" Do you also believe that what gives our lives their meaning is the passion that suddenly invades us heart, soul, and body, and burns in us forever no matter what else happens in our lives?" (p. 210) The two men achieve a measure of peace as they realize that the passion they both had for Krisztina many years earlier was the source of sorrow and loss, but was also what had given their lives meaning. The theme of loss on this highly personal level is combined in "Embers" with a sense of changing from the aristocratic world of Austrio-Hungary to modernity.

This is a complex multi-layered novel that explores the power of passion in what it means to live a human life.

Robin Friedman