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 (Click for larger image) 
Marai, Sandor (Translated by George Szirtes).
CASANOVA IN BOLZANO.
New York City, NY:
Alfred A. Knopf,
2004.
Hardcover.
First Edition/First Printing.
294 pages.
As New/As New.
The second novel by the author to be translated into English. The first appearance of the title in English. Precedes and should not be confused with all other subsequent editions. 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 the new century. It is as if a great but forgotten voice from the 20th century is being heard for the very time by a whole new generation of readers in an entirely different time. "This entertaining and profound novel 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). "There is a moment of silence at a vital turn in a man's life. There is in the world a kind of purpose whose true working lies beyond our wit, which desires to articulate itself much as an idea does" (Sandor Marai). Articulation aside, here is an authentic literary masterpiece, a "must-have" title for all Modern First collectors. This title has been out-of-print as a hardcover for a long time. This is one of relatively few copies of the First English-language Edition still available online and has no flaws, a pristine beauty. Sandor Marai's novels have become collectible in translation. Copies of "Embers", his first novel to be translated into English, command up to an incredible $500 online. A very scarce copy thus. One of the greatest writers of the 20th century. A flawless copy. . ISBN 0375413375. $20.00 |
