Fire and Knowledge: Fiction and EssaysA superb collection of short stories, essays, and literary criticism from the great Hungarian writer The U.S. publication of A Book of Memories in 1997 introduced to our shores the work of an extraordinary novelist, an artist whom critics easily compared to Robert Musil, James Joyce, and Thomas Mann. Now, in Fire and Knowledge, we discover other aspects of Péter Nádas's major presence in European life and letters: as a trenchant commentator on the events that have transformed his country and all of Europe since 1989, as a stunning literary critic, as a subtle interpreter of language and politics in societies both free and unfree, as a moralist with a discerning eye for the crippling effects of deception and hypocrisy upon us all. In addition, Fire and Knowledge acquaints us more fully with Nádas's evolution as a writer of fiction, for it includes stories dating from the 1960s and 1970s, when he had to write in extremely stringent, even dangerous circumstances, as well as some from more recent years, since the publication of his major novels and the reintegration of Western and Eastern Europe. Here, in full, is a rich and rewarding compilation of works by one of our greatest living writers. |
Contents
The Great Christmas Killing | 3 |
Homecoming | 65 |
Little Alex A STORY | 83 |
The Lamb A STORY | 107 |
Hamlet Is Free | 149 |
Lady Kláras House A STORY | 166 |
Melancholy | 238 |
Vivisection A STORY | 262 |
Family Picture in Purple Dusk A STORY | 276 |
Work Song | 312 |
Fate and Technique | 336 |
Parasitic Systems | 350 |
The Citizen of the World and the HeGoat | 368 |
Clogged Pain | 383 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
already answer appeared asked become began believe body cause close common completely continued dark death direction don't door everything existence experience eyes face fact fate father fear feeling felt fire followed front garden girl give Grandmother hand happened head hear heard hold human imagination individual interest Joseph Jucika keep kind kitchen knew Lady Klára leave light living looked Maczelka means mind moral Mother mouth move nature never night once person political possible probably question reached reason returned Róth seemed sense sentence side silence sitting situation smile someone sound space standing started steps stood stopped Szidike talking tell thing thought tion took turned understand voice waiting walked wall whole window woman