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Marai, Sandor (Translated by George Szirtes) : Portraits Of A Marriage

Alfred A. Knopf, New York City, NY, 2011

ISBN 1400045010

First Edition / First Printing. Fine in Fine Dust Jacket. 375 pages. The fourth novel by the author to be translated into English. One of Sandor Marai's greatest achievements. The first appearance of the title in English and in the United States. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. Presents Sandor Marai's "Az igazi" in a felicitous English translation. An exploration of an age-old theme, the love triangle, with Marai's characteristic twists. "A wealthy couple in bourgeois society, Peter and Ilonka appear to enjoy a fine union. Their home is tastefully decorated; their clothes are well-tailored; they move in important circles. And yet, to hyper-sensitive Ilonka, her choice in decor is never good enough, and her looks are never fair enough to fully win the love of her husband, who has carried with him a secret that has long tormented him: Peter is in love with Judit, a peasant and servant in his childhood home" (Publisher's blurb). The posthumous discovery of the work of Sandor Marai, who published more than 40 books in Hungarian before committing suicide in 1989, is one of the most important literary events of our time: A great but forgotten voice from the 20th century is being heard for the very first time by a whole new generation of readers in an entirely different time. "Validates the nagging suspicion that Sandor Marai (1900-89) is one of the great modern novelists, in the same league as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, with whom he shares many qualities. The delay in acknowledging this comes from the tragic happenstance, at least for English readers, that Marai wrote in Hungarian, a language not widely translated. The confinement of a writer of Marai's talent, at once dramatic and witty, to a language of so few readers seems almost criminal. Of course, Marai wouldn't have felt this way. He was passionately devoted to Hungarian, and he referred to his language as 'his only homeland' " (The Washington Post). An absolute "must-have" title for Sandor Marai collectors. This title is a great book. This is one of few copies of the First American Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright, a pristine beauty. Please note: Sandor Marai's novels have now become collectible in translation. Copies of "Embers", his first novel to be translated into English, command up to $500 online. A scarce copy thus. One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A fine copy. (SEE ALSO OTHER SANDOR MARAI TITLE IN OUR CATALOG). ISBN 1400045010.

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