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Embers [Paperback]

Sandor Marai , Carol Brown Janeway
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin; New Ed edition (6 Feb 2003)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0141004312
  • ISBN-13: 978-0141004310
  • Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.7 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 13,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

In Sándor Márai's Embers, two old men, once the best of friends, meet after a 41-year break in their relationship. They dine together, taking the same places at the table that they had assumed on the last meal they shared, then sit beside each other in front of a dying fire, one of them near-silent, the other one, his host, slowly and deliberately tracing the course of their dead friendship. This sensitive, long-considered elaboration of one man's lifelong grievance is as gripping as any adventure story, and explains why Maáai's forgotten 1942 masterpiece is being compared with the work of Thomas Mann. In some ways, M´rai's work is more modern than Mann's. His simplicity and succinct, unadorned lyricism may call to mind Latin American novelists like Gabriel García Márquez, or even Italo Calvino. It is the tone of magical realism, although Márai's work is only magical in the sense that he completely engages his reader, spinning a web of words as his wounded central character describes his betrayal and abandonment at the hands of his closest friend. Even the setting, an old castle, evokes dark fairy tales.

The story of the rediscovery of Embers is as fascinating as the novel itself. A celebrated Hungarian novelist of the 1930s, Márai survived the war but was persecuted by the Communists after they came to power. His books were suppressed, even destroyed, and he was forced to flee his country in 1948. He died in San Diego in 1989, one year before the neglected Embers was finally reprinted in his native land. This reprint was discovered by the Italian writer and publisher Roberto Calasso, and the subsequent editions have become international bestsellers. All of his novels are now slated for American publication. --Regina Marler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Embers recreates the lost world of the old central European aristocracy (here placed at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains) within the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with all its human interdependence. Its compact intimacy reminds one afresh of one antidote to today's bloated blockbuster: the literary novella, containing much pleasure within a relatively short span. Marai (a refugee from Communism who committed suicide in 1989) wrote this cultured drama back in the 1940s, although it wasn't discovered by English language readers until last year. The action is set during the passing of one night, as an old aristocrat greets a friend he has not seen for a generation, and at heart is a story of unrequited love. Old fashioned maybe, but very rewarding. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
In the morning, the old general spent a considerable time in the wine cellars with his winegrower inspecting two casks of wine that had begun to ferment. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Whipple HALL OF FAME TOP 100 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
As full of dramatic tension as anything written by Poe, this masterpiece of character development idealizes the personal values of a lost world, and celebrates the rewards and obligations of friendship. Henrik, a former Austro-Hungarian general and member of the aristocracy, is approaching the end of his life, having lived 75 years according to the "male virtues: silence, solitude, and the inviolability of one's word." He is awaiting a visit from Konrad, his former best friend, a man he has not seen or heard from in 41 years and 43 days, a man he believes betrayed him and upon whom he has yearned for revenge for more than half his life.

The simple narrative framework allows Henrik to tell the story through his own meditations and his one-sided conversation with Konrad after his arrival. Touching first on the lives and marriages of Henrik's parents, his wife's parents, and then Konrad's parents, Henrik slides obliquely and seductively into the story of his friendship with Konrad, his courtship of Krisztina, and the first four years of his own marriage. As tiny details emerge and build upon one another, the dramatic irony grows. Henrik's vision of himself, his motivations, and his actions appear in sharp relief against the conclusions being drawn by the reader. Henrik is, above all, an aristocrat, imprisoned by a value system he also embraces.

As the parallel dilemmas he imposes on his wife and Konrad emerge ironically from Henrik's narrative, the reader is simultaneously fascinated and frustrated by Henrik's view of his own dilemma and his desire for Truth. A heart-stopping climax and Konrad's dramatic reply to his interrogation, along with numerous breath-taking descriptions of nature, leave the reader awed by Marai's talent and grateful that this very clever and sensitive study of character and values has been reclaimed for posterity. Mary Whipple

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Whilst I am always sceptical of a book that has received so much publicity, I bought it on the strength of its reviews. I was not disappointed and found it a compelling read. Its only weakness is perhaps in its translation. While it is clearly a book with its main strength in its literary imagery, the two words 'as if' crop up so many times as to be irritating.

On reflection, the immensely enthusiastic reviews state 'a conversation' between two ageing friends that had not seen each other for forty-one years. There was little conversation between the two men. The narrative was almost entirely Henrik's. Whilst this is a very clever achievement, I kept wanting Konrad to at least say something to give his character more dimension.

To conclude, although I have my criticisms, there are few (perhaps no) writers of today that can write such prose of such quality

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
the best novel 5 April 2002
Format:Hardcover
it's an amazing and brillant book, filled with meditations on the nature of friendship, domestic bliss and hopeless passion. it made me cry and dream.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Embers - Sandor Marai
This book is a really good read, I could hardly put it down. Fascinating from the first, the passion of the story and the tension to understand more had me gripped.
Published 1 month ago by seymourbac
Marai's masterpiece - if you place yourself into the book's situation,...
This is arguably one of Marai's most famous books and it displays wonderfully why he is such a revered author. Read more
Published 7 months ago by AK
Spell-binding
Couldn't put the book down, and yet didn't want to finish reading it - I didn't want it to end. The plot is flimsy, but the insights into the human condition and all that and the... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Wilhelm Snyman
Embers by Sandor Merai
Beautifully written, wonderful descriptions, an insight into Middle-European culture of the early 20th century, class, property, memory, the military obligations of the Austrian... Read more
Published 12 months ago by S. Campbell
Poetic
I think I would describe this as a simple story extragavantly told. It's quite poetic.I didn't have much sympathy for the old General, he had all the advantages but spent 41 years... Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. Spencer
FIRST CLASS LITEATURE........
This will surely make you think.... Do not miss out on "Esther's Inheritance" by the same author... The best literature I have read since my University of Arts days.... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Teresa Iglesias
A compulsive page-turner
This is an excellent book that I managed to read in a single sitting. The main themes of a sense of loss, lasting regret and a deceptive weakness for nostalgia have a universal... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Salagean
Embers by Sandor Marai
This book was a Round the World Book Group selection. I enjoyed this book. It is suffused with images of isolation and aloneness (not necessarily loneliness). Read more
Published 23 months ago by Mr. A. Mcinnes
I wanted to love it
I had no idea what to expect when I picked this book up from a charity shop, but I will be honest - I was drawn to the cover, brilliant! Read more
Published 24 months ago by V. Gregory
A telling monologue
The first half of this book tells the history between two childhood friends, Henrik an aristocrat and Konrad a poor military cadet. Read more
Published on 30 May 2010 by Elka
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