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VII. Olivér
Egy király megunja a magas tábornoki gallért és azt a sok más korlátot, ami őt a közönséges halandóktól elválasztja. Forradalmat szervez maga ellen, és otthagyja ősei trónját. De milyen foglalkozást válasszon, amikor az uralkodáson kívül semmihez sem ért? Természetesen szélhámos lesz. De ehhez sincs semmi tehetsége, a szélhámosságot csak színleli. Szerencsére a véletlen jóvoltából egészen rendkívüli helyzetbe kerül: azt kell szélhámoskodnia, hogy az, ami - VII. Olivér exkirály. Mi ez? A legősibb vígjátéki forrás, a személycsere egy fejtetőre állított változata? Paradoxonok halmozása a kor divatja szerint? Vagy az egzisztencialista filozófia egyik legizgalmasabb problémájának - mi a személyiség? - játékos feldolgozása és persziflázsa egyszerre? Szerb Antal 1942-43-ban A. H. Redcliff angol írói álnév mögé rejtőzve jelentette meg ezt a bűbájos regényt, s nem sokkal ezután Ex címmel vígjáték formájában is feldolgozta a történetet.
236 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1943
17 people are currently reading
595 people want to read
About the author
Antal Szerb
39 books243 followersAntal Szerb was a noted Hungarian scholar and writer. He is generally considered to be one of the major Hungarian writers of the 20th century.
Szerb was born in 1901 to assimilated Jewish parents in Budapest, but baptized Catholic. He studied Hungarian, German and later English, obtaining a doctorate in 1924. From 1924 to 1929 he lived in France and Italy, also spending a year in London, England.
As a student he published essays on Georg Trakl and Stefan George, and quickly established a formidable reputation as a scholar, writing erudite studies of William Blake and Henrik Ibsen among other works. Elected President of the Hungarian Literary Academy in 1933 - aged just 32 -, he published his first novel, The Pendragon Legend (which draws upon his personal experience of living in Britain) the following year. His second and best-known work, Utas és holdvilág, known in English as Journey by Moonlight, came out in 1937. He was made a Professor of Literature at the University of Szeged the same year. He was twice awarded the Baumgarten Prize, in 1935 and 1937.
In 1941 he published a History of World Literature which continues to be authoritative today. He also published a volume on novel theory and a book about the history of Hungarian literature. Given numerous chances to escape antisemitic persecution (as late as 1944), he chose to remain in Hungary, where his last novel, a Pirandellian fantasy about a king staging a coup against himself, then having to impersonate himself, Oliver VII, was published in 1942. It was passed off as a translation from the English, as no 'Jewish' work could have been printed at the time.
Szerb was deported to a concentration camp late in 1944, and was beaten to death there in January 1945, at the age of 43. He was survived by his wife, Klára Bálint, who died in 1992.
Szerb was born in 1901 to assimilated Jewish parents in Budapest, but baptized Catholic. He studied Hungarian, German and later English, obtaining a doctorate in 1924. From 1924 to 1929 he lived in France and Italy, also spending a year in London, England.
As a student he published essays on Georg Trakl and Stefan George, and quickly established a formidable reputation as a scholar, writing erudite studies of William Blake and Henrik Ibsen among other works. Elected President of the Hungarian Literary Academy in 1933 - aged just 32 -, he published his first novel, The Pendragon Legend (which draws upon his personal experience of living in Britain) the following year. His second and best-known work, Utas és holdvilág, known in English as Journey by Moonlight, came out in 1937. He was made a Professor of Literature at the University of Szeged the same year. He was twice awarded the Baumgarten Prize, in 1935 and 1937.
In 1941 he published a History of World Literature which continues to be authoritative today. He also published a volume on novel theory and a book about the history of Hungarian literature. Given numerous chances to escape antisemitic persecution (as late as 1944), he chose to remain in Hungary, where his last novel, a Pirandellian fantasy about a king staging a coup against himself, then having to impersonate himself, Oliver VII, was published in 1942. It was passed off as a translation from the English, as no 'Jewish' work could have been printed at the time.
Szerb was deported to a concentration camp late in 1944, and was beaten to death there in January 1945, at the age of 43. He was survived by his wife, Klára Bálint, who died in 1992.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
July 29, 2019
The modern reader of Oliver VII knows, going in, that Oliver VII is written at the height of the War and is the last book of its author, Antal Szerb, born to assimilated Jewish parents and baptized Catholic, and beaten to death in a Hungarian concentration camp in January 1945. With that context, I anticipated that Oliver VII would turn from farce to bleakness at some point, notwithstanding the marketing blurb. He is Hungarian, after all. The ability to turn bleak stories into literature like no one else is why I read Eastern European classics. But Oliver VII does not shift into anything other than what is is on page one. Farce.
Its humor underlies every scene as Oliver, the Alturian king playing a charlatan playing the king, attempts to abandon his monarchy, romp through Venice. For themes, you have the biggies - identity and the flight from identity and obligation/duty. The exchanges that Oliver has with female characters is reminiscent of the dialogue one finds in the American Thin Man movies (Myrna Loy and William Powell and a lot of cocktails consumed). As a reader, again with the benefit of hindsight, one knows that whilst these trivial conversations were occurring, the world is moving inevitably toward what what will become WWII, and Alturia's monarchy will soon be irrelevant whether or not Oliver returns to occupy it.
Szerb allows you to smile and laugh for the couple of hours it takes to read Oliver VII from cover to cover, and his gentle irony and light amusement is his gift to us. He could have told many more pointed or unsettling stories, but instead told this one, which allows the reader to determine whether he or she will live in the moment and focus on the humor, and ignore the storm clouds as they gather, or, in the alternative, see them and weep. As an American, I appreciated greatly the ability to forget -- if only for a couple of hours -- what is going on in the world of politics outside my doorstep each day of this year.
If you want the sort of literary experience that sticks with you for decades, Oliver might not be that; however, for me, Oliver VII was worth the time I invested in it, offered me something quite different than my typical choices which tend decidedly toward the dour, violent, and tragic, and I recommend it, especially in the lovely Pushkin Press version -- which, with its elegant artwork and fonts, highest, quality paper, and substantial cover, is as wonderful a physical book-reading experience as any publisher is offering in 2019.
Its humor underlies every scene as Oliver, the Alturian king playing a charlatan playing the king, attempts to abandon his monarchy, romp through Venice. For themes, you have the biggies - identity and the flight from identity and obligation/duty. The exchanges that Oliver has with female characters is reminiscent of the dialogue one finds in the American Thin Man movies (Myrna Loy and William Powell and a lot of cocktails consumed). As a reader, again with the benefit of hindsight, one knows that whilst these trivial conversations were occurring, the world is moving inevitably toward what what will become WWII, and Alturia's monarchy will soon be irrelevant whether or not Oliver returns to occupy it.
Szerb allows you to smile and laugh for the couple of hours it takes to read Oliver VII from cover to cover, and his gentle irony and light amusement is his gift to us. He could have told many more pointed or unsettling stories, but instead told this one, which allows the reader to determine whether he or she will live in the moment and focus on the humor, and ignore the storm clouds as they gather, or, in the alternative, see them and weep. As an American, I appreciated greatly the ability to forget -- if only for a couple of hours -- what is going on in the world of politics outside my doorstep each day of this year.
If you want the sort of literary experience that sticks with you for decades, Oliver might not be that; however, for me, Oliver VII was worth the time I invested in it, offered me something quite different than my typical choices which tend decidedly toward the dour, violent, and tragic, and I recommend it, especially in the lovely Pushkin Press version -- which, with its elegant artwork and fonts, highest, quality paper, and substantial cover, is as wonderful a physical book-reading experience as any publisher is offering in 2019.
February 13, 2024
Antal Szerb should be read more often, but Journey By Moonlight is his great work. This is a light little romp of a book. But don't be fooled it deals with big subjects. In this case, the illusion of who we are, who we want to be, how we deal with real responsibilities, how easily we get caught up in the received drama of the day.
It's all about scams, a Belle Époque Oceans Eleven of a book set in a made up country and Venice - itself a place that looks like a backdrop to a historical drama.
A king escapes a plot to take over his country. A northern neighbour has struck a deal to take over the king's country and turn into something more illusory - a corporation. The only thing of value in this country is sardines and wine.
Plots, twists, in which we know who the perpetrators are, but still, it's fun watching it unfold. Who is anybody, which side are they on, does love really happen, or is part of the game, can anybody sort out the king's national finances which are labyrinthine inside a puzzle, inside a straight-jacket.
Bit of fun, great language of illusion, too.
My summer here has been spent on books to deal with illusion and reality. What is going on? Thank God for this digital reality.
It's all about scams, a Belle Époque Oceans Eleven of a book set in a made up country and Venice - itself a place that looks like a backdrop to a historical drama.
A king escapes a plot to take over his country. A northern neighbour has struck a deal to take over the king's country and turn into something more illusory - a corporation. The only thing of value in this country is sardines and wine.
Plots, twists, in which we know who the perpetrators are, but still, it's fun watching it unfold. Who is anybody, which side are they on, does love really happen, or is part of the game, can anybody sort out the king's national finances which are labyrinthine inside a puzzle, inside a straight-jacket.
Bit of fun, great language of illusion, too.
My summer here has been spent on books to deal with illusion and reality. What is going on? Thank God for this digital reality.
Read
July 11, 2016„Samo Mađari mogu da nauče mađarski jezik“, kaže stara mađarska poslovica koju sam preveo sa engleskog.
Možda je ovaj jezički fenomen zaslužan što su Antal Serb i njegova dela postala poznata izvan Mađarske tek sedamdeset godina posle autorove smrti. U domovini je odavno bio klasik kada je u ostatku Evrope tek počinjao da privlači pažnju. Nakon što je neko uspeo da njegova dela prevede na druge jezike Antal Serb je, u veoma kratkom roku, postao najtraženiji evropski pisac. Preveden je na desetak evropskih jezika, a među njima je i srpski. Nešto ranije su prevedeni Putnik i mesečina kao i Legenda o Pendragonu, a sada je pred nama njegovo poslednje delo Oliver VII, napisano i objavljeno tokom Drugog svetskog rata, rata koji će doći glave i samom autoru.
Naime, Antal Serb je, osim što je bio predani katolik, bio i jevrejskog porekla. To nikako nije moglo promaći… hm… ljudima koji su u to vreme bili na vlasti u Mađarskoj. Zbog svog porekla Antal Serb je bio izložen brojnim neprijatnostima i opasnostima. Prijatelju su mu nudili pomoć u pronalaženju lažnih isprava i napuštanu zemlje. Antal Serb je, želeći da deli sudbinu svoje generacije, odbio ovu pomoć. Deportovan je u koncentracioni logor Balf gde je u januaru 1945. prebijen na smrt. Posle nekoliko dana logor je oslobođen.
Tako je u četrdeset trećoj godini života prestalo da kuca srce jednog od najznačajnijih književnih figura mađarske dvadesetog veka. Njegova supruga, Klara Balint, ga je nadživela i živela sve do 1992. godine.
Oliver VII je treća Serbova knjiga prevedena na srpski jezik. Englesko izdanje je doživela tek 2007. godine, tako da ni mi u Srbiji ne kaskamo mnogo za svetom kao što imamo običaj.
O čemu se radi u ovoj zavrzlami? Mislim da je zavrzlama prava reč kojom može da se opiše knjiga. Glavni junak je Oliver VII mladi i lepi kralj izmišljene evropske kraljevine Alturije. Njegovi podanicu su više romantični nego praktični ljudi koji žive od izvoza sardina i vina.
Upravo taj romantizam naroda Alturiju je doveo do bankrota. Državna blagajna je prazna i kralj je prinuđen da celokupan izvoz sardina i vina preda u ruke stranoj korporaciji čije se sedište nalazi u susednoj Norlandiji. Norlanđani su manje romantični, a više praktični narod tako da imaju dovoljno novca da podmažu sve šrafove alturske kraljevine kako bi bez problema dobili ono što im po pravu bogatijeg pripada.
Kralj Oliver VII čini ono što vladari malih država obično i rade kada se njihovo kraljevstvo nađe u opasnosti – pobegnu.
Oliver VII lično organizuje državni udar protiv samog sebe kako bi mogao da, nesputan kraljevim obavezama, upozna pravi život običnih ljudi. On u tom upoznavanju običnog sveta postaje deo običnog lopovskog sveta. Romantičan, kakvi su svi Alturijanci, Oliver se zaljubljuje u pripadnicu jedne male bande prevaranata iz Venecije. Kao deo jedne njihove prevare, inkognito kralj Oliver mora da se pretvara da je kralj Oliver i da sam sebe vrati na tron.
Deluje sasvim šašavo, ali takva i jeste knjiga Oliver VII.
Oliver VII je bajkovita politička satira sa elementima avanturističkog romana. Dosta se razlikuje od njegovih ranije prevedenih dela. Tako da, ako ste već čitali Serbova dela, sada imate prilike da upoznate drugačijeg autora.
Knjiga je pisana pitkim stilom prožetim duhovitim opaskama i aforizmima. Čita se u jednom dahu, a verujem da će većina, nakon prvog čitanja, poželeti da kroz ovu avanturu prođe još jednom.
Međutim, kao i mnoge šaljive knjige i Oliver VII je veoma ozbiljan. Ovo je roman koji se bavi i istraživanjem identiteta. Kako smo postali ono što jesmo i kako na to što jesmo utiče ono što drugi misle o nama. Oliver želi da odustane od uloge kralja koja mu je nametnuta kako bi, zapravo, na kraju tu ulogu dobrovoljno prihvatio kao deo svog izbora.
Imajte na umu dok čitate ovu gorko-slatku knjigu da ju je autor pisao dok su mu je nad glavom visio mač. Ili da metaforu svedem na realniju sliku – Oliver VII je napisan dok je autor bio pred streljačkim vodom.
Uživajte u čitanju jer Oliver VII upravo to pruža.
http://www.bookvar.rs/?p=8800
Možda je ovaj jezički fenomen zaslužan što su Antal Serb i njegova dela postala poznata izvan Mađarske tek sedamdeset godina posle autorove smrti. U domovini je odavno bio klasik kada je u ostatku Evrope tek počinjao da privlači pažnju. Nakon što je neko uspeo da njegova dela prevede na druge jezike Antal Serb je, u veoma kratkom roku, postao najtraženiji evropski pisac. Preveden je na desetak evropskih jezika, a među njima je i srpski. Nešto ranije su prevedeni Putnik i mesečina kao i Legenda o Pendragonu, a sada je pred nama njegovo poslednje delo Oliver VII, napisano i objavljeno tokom Drugog svetskog rata, rata koji će doći glave i samom autoru.
Naime, Antal Serb je, osim što je bio predani katolik, bio i jevrejskog porekla. To nikako nije moglo promaći… hm… ljudima koji su u to vreme bili na vlasti u Mađarskoj. Zbog svog porekla Antal Serb je bio izložen brojnim neprijatnostima i opasnostima. Prijatelju su mu nudili pomoć u pronalaženju lažnih isprava i napuštanu zemlje. Antal Serb je, želeći da deli sudbinu svoje generacije, odbio ovu pomoć. Deportovan je u koncentracioni logor Balf gde je u januaru 1945. prebijen na smrt. Posle nekoliko dana logor je oslobođen.
Tako je u četrdeset trećoj godini života prestalo da kuca srce jednog od najznačajnijih književnih figura mađarske dvadesetog veka. Njegova supruga, Klara Balint, ga je nadživela i živela sve do 1992. godine.
Oliver VII je treća Serbova knjiga prevedena na srpski jezik. Englesko izdanje je doživela tek 2007. godine, tako da ni mi u Srbiji ne kaskamo mnogo za svetom kao što imamo običaj.
O čemu se radi u ovoj zavrzlami? Mislim da je zavrzlama prava reč kojom može da se opiše knjiga. Glavni junak je Oliver VII mladi i lepi kralj izmišljene evropske kraljevine Alturije. Njegovi podanicu su više romantični nego praktični ljudi koji žive od izvoza sardina i vina.
Upravo taj romantizam naroda Alturiju je doveo do bankrota. Državna blagajna je prazna i kralj je prinuđen da celokupan izvoz sardina i vina preda u ruke stranoj korporaciji čije se sedište nalazi u susednoj Norlandiji. Norlanđani su manje romantični, a više praktični narod tako da imaju dovoljno novca da podmažu sve šrafove alturske kraljevine kako bi bez problema dobili ono što im po pravu bogatijeg pripada.
Kralj Oliver VII čini ono što vladari malih država obično i rade kada se njihovo kraljevstvo nađe u opasnosti – pobegnu.
Oliver VII lično organizuje državni udar protiv samog sebe kako bi mogao da, nesputan kraljevim obavezama, upozna pravi život običnih ljudi. On u tom upoznavanju običnog sveta postaje deo običnog lopovskog sveta. Romantičan, kakvi su svi Alturijanci, Oliver se zaljubljuje u pripadnicu jedne male bande prevaranata iz Venecije. Kao deo jedne njihove prevare, inkognito kralj Oliver mora da se pretvara da je kralj Oliver i da sam sebe vrati na tron.
Deluje sasvim šašavo, ali takva i jeste knjiga Oliver VII.
Oliver VII je bajkovita politička satira sa elementima avanturističkog romana. Dosta se razlikuje od njegovih ranije prevedenih dela. Tako da, ako ste već čitali Serbova dela, sada imate prilike da upoznate drugačijeg autora.
Knjiga je pisana pitkim stilom prožetim duhovitim opaskama i aforizmima. Čita se u jednom dahu, a verujem da će većina, nakon prvog čitanja, poželeti da kroz ovu avanturu prođe još jednom.
Međutim, kao i mnoge šaljive knjige i Oliver VII je veoma ozbiljan. Ovo je roman koji se bavi i istraživanjem identiteta. Kako smo postali ono što jesmo i kako na to što jesmo utiče ono što drugi misle o nama. Oliver želi da odustane od uloge kralja koja mu je nametnuta kako bi, zapravo, na kraju tu ulogu dobrovoljno prihvatio kao deo svog izbora.
Imajte na umu dok čitate ovu gorko-slatku knjigu da ju je autor pisao dok su mu je nad glavom visio mač. Ili da metaforu svedem na realniju sliku – Oliver VII je napisan dok je autor bio pred streljačkim vodom.
Uživajte u čitanju jer Oliver VII upravo to pruža.
http://www.bookvar.rs/?p=8800
May 11, 2021
Having encountered Antal Szerb through his best-known work Journey by Moonlight and its companion piece, the non-fiction travelogue The Third Tower: Journeys in Italy I was initially surprised at the high spirits of this novel, especially since it was written whilst World War II was raging, changing Europe's landscape forever. True, there were humorous passages, as well as an underlying gentle irony, in "Journey by Moonlight", but Oliver VII is an all-out comic novel, with a convoluted plot worthy of opera buffa.
The eponymous protagonist is the monarch of the fictional European realm of Alturia, in an unspecified period "before the War". Rather than conclude a dubious treaty with a neighbouring state (which includes a royal marriage into the bargain), Oliver sets up a coup against himself and escapes from the country. Against the backdrop of a "stagey" Venice, described as a theatre set "where the whole scene sometimes seems to wobble", Oliver joins a group of seasoned conmen and, after several twists and turns, ends up impersonating himself. The novel is peopled by farcical characters, mistaken identities, hilarious set-pieces and even a walk-on part for a panto dame. At times, I felt that the book was midway between the old-world comedy of P.G. Wodehouse and the more biting satire of Evelyn Waugh Perhaps it is no coincidence that the dialogue in Len Rix's brilliant translation contains a number of Bertie Wooster-ish exclamations, and that it is the appearance of a journalist on the scene (think Scoop) which propels the plot to its upbeat denouement.
As the novel progresses, one starts to realise that it is closer to the darker "Journey by Moonlight" than appears at first glance. Surely it's no coincidence that, like Mihaly in the earlier novel, Oliver escapes to the back streets of La Serenissima in a bid to discover "real life". The parallels between the two books (and their autobiographical aspects) are explained in greater detail in the translator's afterword. The work acquires greater poignancy when one discovers discover that this work was the last written by Szerb before, as a Catholic with Jewish ancestry, he was murdered in a labour camp.
This book is another winner from the "Pushkin Collection" series and Szerb is fast becoming one of my favourite authors ever.
The eponymous protagonist is the monarch of the fictional European realm of Alturia, in an unspecified period "before the War". Rather than conclude a dubious treaty with a neighbouring state (which includes a royal marriage into the bargain), Oliver sets up a coup against himself and escapes from the country. Against the backdrop of a "stagey" Venice, described as a theatre set "where the whole scene sometimes seems to wobble", Oliver joins a group of seasoned conmen and, after several twists and turns, ends up impersonating himself. The novel is peopled by farcical characters, mistaken identities, hilarious set-pieces and even a walk-on part for a panto dame. At times, I felt that the book was midway between the old-world comedy of P.G. Wodehouse and the more biting satire of Evelyn Waugh Perhaps it is no coincidence that the dialogue in Len Rix's brilliant translation contains a number of Bertie Wooster-ish exclamations, and that it is the appearance of a journalist on the scene (think Scoop) which propels the plot to its upbeat denouement.
As the novel progresses, one starts to realise that it is closer to the darker "Journey by Moonlight" than appears at first glance. Surely it's no coincidence that, like Mihaly in the earlier novel, Oliver escapes to the back streets of La Serenissima in a bid to discover "real life". The parallels between the two books (and their autobiographical aspects) are explained in greater detail in the translator's afterword. The work acquires greater poignancy when one discovers discover that this work was the last written by Szerb before, as a Catholic with Jewish ancestry, he was murdered in a labour camp.
This book is another winner from the "Pushkin Collection" series and Szerb is fast becoming one of my favourite authors ever.
September 13, 2016
Arpad Vicko je sa mađarskog na srpski već preveo dva ključna dela Antala Serba (1901-1945), zaista izvanredne romane Legenda o Pendragonu (prvobitno objavljen 1934. godine) i Putnik i mesečina (1937), oba u izdanju Stubova kulture. Nedavno je isti prevodilac za Lagunu preveo i Serbovog Olivera VII, manje poznato delo iz opusa ovog pisca koje je prvi put objavljeno 1943. godine, kao „prevod sa engleskog“ i pod pseudonimom A. H. Redklif, pošto je u Hortijevoj Mađarskoj piscima jevrejskog porekla bilo zabranjeno da objavljuju. Ono što kod Serba fascinira je njegova raznovrsnost – svi romani se tematski i stilski veoma razlikuju jedan od drugog, a sva tri su izuzetno dobro napisana. Nakon avanturističkog horora (Legenda o Pandragonu) i psihodeličnog putopisa (Putnik i mesečina), Serb je napisao komični roman u stilu šekspirovske komedije zabune. Nakon što je posle državnog udara napustio presto i rodnu Alturiju, bivši kralj Oliver VII odlazi inkognito u Veneciju. Sticaj okolnosti će dovesti do zabavne maskarade u kojoj će Oliver VII igrati ulogu varalice koji igra ulogu Olivera VII. U pitanju je jedno izuzetno šarmantno i poletno delo, puno humora i zanimljivih preokreta koje je, iako nema zamah prethodna dva romana ovog pisca, vredno čitanja i posedovanja. Serb je istinski klasik, pisac svetskog ranga, a njegova dela zaslužuju da se nađu na polici svakog iole studioznijeg poklonika književnosti. Neprevedeni na srpski su ostali zbirka priča Ljubav u boci (1935) i roman Kraljičina ogrlica (1943) – ove nepravde će, nadam se, biti ispravljene u doglednoj budućnosti.
July 13, 2017
Prva knjiga ovog autora, pa nisam znala šta da očekujem od te "mešavine bajke, političke satire i avanturističkog romana".
Nisam se razočarala: lako se čita, humora je dosta, ličnosti su jednolične i prozirne ali pritom stavljene u situacije gde je zanimljivo pratiti njihovo koprcanje. Doista ima sličnosti sa dramom-komedijom, ali je ipak prijatnije za čitanje jer je u pitanju proza.
Satirični aspekti su uspeli.
Tri zvezdice rađe nego četiri jer knjiga ipak nema neke dubine. Ali ni to nije toliko bitno koliko da se radujem drugim knjigama istog autora.
Nisam se razočarala: lako se čita, humora je dosta, ličnosti su jednolične i prozirne ali pritom stavljene u situacije gde je zanimljivo pratiti njihovo koprcanje. Doista ima sličnosti sa dramom-komedijom, ali je ipak prijatnije za čitanje jer je u pitanju proza.
Satirični aspekti su uspeli.
Tri zvezdice rađe nego četiri jer knjiga ipak nema neke dubine. Ali ni to nije toliko bitno koliko da se radujem drugim knjigama istog autora.
February 5, 2015
Anybody coming fresh to this novel might assume it was a straightforward comic novel set in some Ruritanian backwater. Many times I found myself thinking that it would make an excellent stage play — its plotting is as complex as a Feydeau farce, and at times it reminded me of Shaw’s Arms and the Man (though the latter is set in Bulgaria rather than an imaginary country). And yet hindsight informs us that this was the Hungarian author’s last work before he was murdered in a Nazi death camp in the closing year of the Second World War. It’s confusing then that there is no hint of the bloody turmoil in the European theatre of war from Szerb’s tale, one centred on a bloodless coup and laced with humorous misunderstandings and engineered coincidences.
Sandoval is a painter who, we soon find, is involved in a plot to dethrone the Catholic King of Alturia, Oliver VII. Alturia, financially insolvent, is on the brink of effectively selling itself to a tycoon from Norlandia, a neighbouring Protestant country. A ragbag of Alturian conspirators, owing allegiance to a mysterious figure called the Nameless Captain, infiltrate the palace on the eve of Oliver’s planned marriage to Ortrud, princess of Norlandia; they depose the hapless monarch (who then disappears into exile) whilst also demonstrating the king’s ministers to be incompetent fools and cowards. An aged cousin reluctantly becomes the new King Geront, but the country still slides down a slippery slope towards economic ruin as the treaty to save it remains unsigned.
Thus far the action all takes place in some central European Neverland. The golden sardines which decorate Alturia’s flag — representing one of the country’s remaining industries — however suggest that Szerb is telling us a fishy story. So many little details underline Alturia’s lack of luck over the years — Oliver’s predecessors include Balázs the Unfortunate and Philip the One-Eared — that I am reminded of the troubles in the kingdom of Ruritania in Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda and, more recently, the seething unrest in Philip Pullman’s Razkavia in The Tin Princess (the capital of which he tell us he based on Prague). But events are about to take us to a more realistic setting, Venice.
“A lot of people feel at home in Venice,” a character informs us. Certainly Szerb himself felt “more completely myself” there, as he tells us in his travelogue The Third Tower. It is here that ‘Oscar’, the incognito Oliver, has ended up with his faithful aide-de-camp Major Milán Mawiras-Tendal (posing as a ‘Mr Meyer’). Unfortunately Oscar has also fallen in with a group of confidence tricksters led by the unforgettable Oubalde Hippolyte Théramene, Count Saint-Germain (presumably a descendant of one or other of the historical Comtes de Saint-Germain). Into the mix stumbles Sandoval, the painter whom we first met at the beginning of the novel. And it is here in Venice that, after more misunderstandings and confusion, Oliver finds himself faced with the possibility of pretending to be himself.
This is a splendid spin on the usual doppelganger theme that so many novels are based on, not least The Prisoner of Zenda. Along the way this comedy (very Shakespearean, there’s even some cross-dressing) also touches on duty and responsibility, expectations and misdirection, masks and identities. Of course, Venice is the place to have a masquerade, where virtually everyone plays a role, and while — as in many Shakespearean comedies — almost all the disguises are lifted for the audience (though not necessarily for the participants) Szerb still manages to forestall us in at least one instance: one character, about whom lots of ‘clues’ are dropped to suggest she may be other than she appears to be, not only turns out to be exactly what she claimed but also unexpectedly pairs off with another major player. I love the way Szerb plays with our preconceptions, displaying them as possible misconceptions.
I must here also heap praise on Szerb’s translator, Len Rix, who as well as providing a text that reads as though English was the novel’s original language also supplies a commendable and illuminating afterword. Here, for example, he draws attention to common themes in the Hungarian’s three novels, The Pendragon Legend, Journey by Moonlight and Oliver VII, especially the last two.
And now all that’s left to say is left to Rabelais, to whom is attributed this deathbed remark: Tirez le rideau, la farce est jouée.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-oliver
Sandoval is a painter who, we soon find, is involved in a plot to dethrone the Catholic King of Alturia, Oliver VII. Alturia, financially insolvent, is on the brink of effectively selling itself to a tycoon from Norlandia, a neighbouring Protestant country. A ragbag of Alturian conspirators, owing allegiance to a mysterious figure called the Nameless Captain, infiltrate the palace on the eve of Oliver’s planned marriage to Ortrud, princess of Norlandia; they depose the hapless monarch (who then disappears into exile) whilst also demonstrating the king’s ministers to be incompetent fools and cowards. An aged cousin reluctantly becomes the new King Geront, but the country still slides down a slippery slope towards economic ruin as the treaty to save it remains unsigned.
Thus far the action all takes place in some central European Neverland. The golden sardines which decorate Alturia’s flag — representing one of the country’s remaining industries — however suggest that Szerb is telling us a fishy story. So many little details underline Alturia’s lack of luck over the years — Oliver’s predecessors include Balázs the Unfortunate and Philip the One-Eared — that I am reminded of the troubles in the kingdom of Ruritania in Anthony Hope’s The Prisoner of Zenda and, more recently, the seething unrest in Philip Pullman’s Razkavia in The Tin Princess (the capital of which he tell us he based on Prague). But events are about to take us to a more realistic setting, Venice.
“A lot of people feel at home in Venice,” a character informs us. Certainly Szerb himself felt “more completely myself” there, as he tells us in his travelogue The Third Tower. It is here that ‘Oscar’, the incognito Oliver, has ended up with his faithful aide-de-camp Major Milán Mawiras-Tendal (posing as a ‘Mr Meyer’). Unfortunately Oscar has also fallen in with a group of confidence tricksters led by the unforgettable Oubalde Hippolyte Théramene, Count Saint-Germain (presumably a descendant of one or other of the historical Comtes de Saint-Germain). Into the mix stumbles Sandoval, the painter whom we first met at the beginning of the novel. And it is here in Venice that, after more misunderstandings and confusion, Oliver finds himself faced with the possibility of pretending to be himself.
This is a splendid spin on the usual doppelganger theme that so many novels are based on, not least The Prisoner of Zenda. Along the way this comedy (very Shakespearean, there’s even some cross-dressing) also touches on duty and responsibility, expectations and misdirection, masks and identities. Of course, Venice is the place to have a masquerade, where virtually everyone plays a role, and while — as in many Shakespearean comedies — almost all the disguises are lifted for the audience (though not necessarily for the participants) Szerb still manages to forestall us in at least one instance: one character, about whom lots of ‘clues’ are dropped to suggest she may be other than she appears to be, not only turns out to be exactly what she claimed but also unexpectedly pairs off with another major player. I love the way Szerb plays with our preconceptions, displaying them as possible misconceptions.
I must here also heap praise on Szerb’s translator, Len Rix, who as well as providing a text that reads as though English was the novel’s original language also supplies a commendable and illuminating afterword. Here, for example, he draws attention to common themes in the Hungarian’s three novels, The Pendragon Legend, Journey by Moonlight and Oliver VII, especially the last two.
And now all that’s left to say is left to Rabelais, to whom is attributed this deathbed remark: Tirez le rideau, la farce est jouée.
http://wp.me/s2oNj1-oliver
September 7, 2017
Esta novela es una genialidad. Desopilante mezcla de realismo, análisis social y cosas locas, todas revueltas y muy bien sazonadas. Personajes particulares como el conde de St. Germain, que es un descendiente del conocido conde, o quizás él mismo. Idas y vueltas con reyes, princesas, pueblos que se levantan, embaucadores, empresarios y así.
La rapidez de su lectura está dada por la fluidez del texto, que avanza y avanza sin dividirse en capítulos o partes, apenas unos espacios extras en muy pocos momentos de la historia.
Me trajo fuertemente al recuerdo Los árboles mueren de pie de Alejandro Casona que leí de adolescente y quedó bien guardado en el corazón. Si bien la historia no es exactamente la misma, hay varios momentos en los que se asemejan o te generan los mismos sentimientos.
La rapidez de su lectura está dada por la fluidez del texto, que avanza y avanza sin dividirse en capítulos o partes, apenas unos espacios extras en muy pocos momentos de la historia.
Me trajo fuertemente al recuerdo Los árboles mueren de pie de Alejandro Casona que leí de adolescente y quedó bien guardado en el corazón. Si bien la historia no es exactamente la misma, hay varios momentos en los que se asemejan o te generan los mismos sentimientos.
January 28, 2025
4.5
Vicces, de intelligens és still relevant
Vicces, de intelligens és still relevant
May 8, 2021
Genijalno.
April 14, 2014
The second Szerb book I've read this month; this is another of the gorgeously presented translations from Pushkin Press. This is the final novel written by the author and was published under supremely difficult circumstances, despite this it seems to be dismissed as a rather frivolous piece. I think that people would prefer that Szerb stuck to writing dark gloomy works along the lines of maybe Alone in Berlin or maybe Mendelssohn is On the Roof, to reflect his own circumstances as he wrote this. Personally I think it reflects one of the great triumphs of the man as an artist that he was able to write such a charming, light and genuinely comic story while under such strain.
The story reads like one of Anthony Hope's Ruritanian novels given a gentle comic spin by someone like Oscar Wilde.I can easily imagine the film that could have been made from this novel, it would have starred Alec Guinness as King Oliver and would have been somewhere between 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and 'The Prince and the Showgirl.' I almost feel the invention of the time machine would be worth the effort just to get the film made correctly!
Although the story is largely set in the crumbling palazzos Venice, a city that was evidently very close to Szerb's heart, it focuses on the King and subjects of Alturia. A central European monarchy that owes it's fortunes to it's trade in Sardines and Wine. Under the threat of bankruptcy and pressure from big business from the neighbouring Norlandia, King Oliver can see no way to come to an acceptable solution for his country and so decides to orchestrate a revolution, just so he can avoid making an unfavourable decision. He disappears leaving his senile uncle as King of Alturia, and nothing but a trail of rumours in his wake.
As the situation in Alturia worsens one of the erstwhile revolutionaries is dispatched to track him down in Venice. Oliver is living incognito in the city as Oscar, and is learning what it is to be an ordinary person. Trouble only brews when the group of con artists he has fallen in with decide that he is ideal to help with a long con.... all that is necessary is for them to convince the world that Oscar is in fact the exiled king of Alturia Oliver VII...... As Oliver manouvers his way out of trouble he finally learns the responsibilities that come with noble rank, and discovers that there are benefits that come along with the power of his birth. It is a light and farcial story that is an absolute delight to read, I hope that Pushkin can have the same effect of Antal Szerb as they have had on Stfan Zweig because the world needs to read these lovely books.
The story reads like one of Anthony Hope's Ruritanian novels given a gentle comic spin by someone like Oscar Wilde.I can easily imagine the film that could have been made from this novel, it would have starred Alec Guinness as King Oliver and would have been somewhere between 'Kind Hearts and Coronets' and 'The Prince and the Showgirl.' I almost feel the invention of the time machine would be worth the effort just to get the film made correctly!
Although the story is largely set in the crumbling palazzos Venice, a city that was evidently very close to Szerb's heart, it focuses on the King and subjects of Alturia. A central European monarchy that owes it's fortunes to it's trade in Sardines and Wine. Under the threat of bankruptcy and pressure from big business from the neighbouring Norlandia, King Oliver can see no way to come to an acceptable solution for his country and so decides to orchestrate a revolution, just so he can avoid making an unfavourable decision. He disappears leaving his senile uncle as King of Alturia, and nothing but a trail of rumours in his wake.
As the situation in Alturia worsens one of the erstwhile revolutionaries is dispatched to track him down in Venice. Oliver is living incognito in the city as Oscar, and is learning what it is to be an ordinary person. Trouble only brews when the group of con artists he has fallen in with decide that he is ideal to help with a long con.... all that is necessary is for them to convince the world that Oscar is in fact the exiled king of Alturia Oliver VII...... As Oliver manouvers his way out of trouble he finally learns the responsibilities that come with noble rank, and discovers that there are benefits that come along with the power of his birth. It is a light and farcial story that is an absolute delight to read, I hope that Pushkin can have the same effect of Antal Szerb as they have had on Stfan Zweig because the world needs to read these lovely books.
September 6, 2020
It's taken me a long time to read this short, light read. The truth is, it hasn't really engaged me. The plot is incredibly complicated, involving conspiracies, disguises and forgeries. I suspect Szerb must have been a fan of restoration comedy. I preferred Journey by Moonlight, which felt a darker, more serious work. What we get here is the tale of King Oliver of Alturia who stages a coup against himself so that he can escape the burden of duty and then flits off to Venice to join a gang of art forgers before the inevitable denouement arrives (one can see it coming at a thousand paces). Oliver VII is thus a fairly standard example of the Ruritanian novel.
It reminds me of Stefan Zweig in atmosphere - the two writers representing the twin halves of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy - and the whole enterprise feels rather lightweight. Like Zweig, Szerb seems naively in thrall to monarchy (perhaps it refleccts their disappointment with the successor republics). So heroic was Szerb's attitude in the face of the Nazis' atrocities - this was his last book before he died in one of their death camps - I find myself unable to condemn its levity. Zweig, of course, also being Jewish, was effectively destroyed by Nazism, being driven into exile before entering a suicide pact with his wife in despair at its seemingly inexorable spread. Perhaps its flippancy is understandable in the circumstances - Szerb may have felt the times were already dark enough.
Here is an account by Szerb's translator, Len Rix:
He lost his right to teach in his university; was summoned for periods of forced labour. Next came the yellow star and the ghetto. Ahead lay the death camps. he was presented with repeated opportunities to escape; someone arranged an academic post for him at Columbia University. Each time he sadly but firmly declined... In 1944 he was officially granted permission to emigrate, but stayed because the Arrow Cross threatened reprisals against his wife. Similarly, just weeks before his horrific death in January 1945, he rejected help because his younger brother was in the same camp...
Antal Szerb, what a man, the incarnation of moral integrity, the apotheosis of the alt-right bully boys who I recently found lurking on this very site...
It reminds me of Stefan Zweig in atmosphere - the two writers representing the twin halves of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy - and the whole enterprise feels rather lightweight. Like Zweig, Szerb seems naively in thrall to monarchy (perhaps it refleccts their disappointment with the successor republics). So heroic was Szerb's attitude in the face of the Nazis' atrocities - this was his last book before he died in one of their death camps - I find myself unable to condemn its levity. Zweig, of course, also being Jewish, was effectively destroyed by Nazism, being driven into exile before entering a suicide pact with his wife in despair at its seemingly inexorable spread. Perhaps its flippancy is understandable in the circumstances - Szerb may have felt the times were already dark enough.
Here is an account by Szerb's translator, Len Rix:
He lost his right to teach in his university; was summoned for periods of forced labour. Next came the yellow star and the ghetto. Ahead lay the death camps. he was presented with repeated opportunities to escape; someone arranged an academic post for him at Columbia University. Each time he sadly but firmly declined... In 1944 he was officially granted permission to emigrate, but stayed because the Arrow Cross threatened reprisals against his wife. Similarly, just weeks before his horrific death in January 1945, he rejected help because his younger brother was in the same camp...
Antal Szerb, what a man, the incarnation of moral integrity, the apotheosis of the alt-right bully boys who I recently found lurking on this very site...
May 2, 2021
Izuzetno inteligentna i duhovita kritika društva u duhu Šekspira. Komotno može da se realizuje kao film, glasam za Vesa Andersona (prevashodno estetike radi), doduše ima i neki braća Koen šmek ako ćemo o samom pisanju, što govori koliko je pisac ispred svog vremena. A sudbina Antala Serba je zaista tužna, kao i sudbine miliona drugih Jevreja koji su prošli kroz pakao poznat kao koncentracioni logor u Drugom svetskom ratu. Kažu da je Antal jedan od najznačajnijih mađarskih (i evropskih, molim lepo!) pisaca 20. veka 〜 meni je nakon čitanja zaista ostala želja da se bolje upoznamo negde u budućnosti. Za sada toliko.
July 3, 2021
Far more lighthearted than 'Journey By Moonlight,' this fine novel by the Hungarian writer Antal Szerb sees a depressed king arrange for his own overthrow so that he might go out and experience life for himself. What happens next is always - just about - predictable, but the comedy comes through the errors and misunderstandings that the characters encounter along the way. Good fun and slightly frivolous, 'Oliver VII' is nonetheless is a very worthwhile read, and another reminder of the huge loss suffered by the literary world with Szerb's untimely death in 1944.
July 9, 2017
Esta novela de enriedos (?) sí que es divertida. Un Rey, un pintor, una princesa... todo termina con un final (in)esperado. 5/5 y recomendado para los amantes de la literatura entretenída y humorística.
July 29, 2016
Un libro desopilante. No es Ubú Rey de Alfred Jarry, parodia teatral de la tragedia Macbeth de William Shakespeare. No fluye por el mismo río literario de Esperando A Godot de Samuel Beckett. No es Alicia que al caer por la madriguera del conejo encuentra un mundo loco que sólo el matemático Lewis Carroll pudo imaginar con tanta precisión lógica. Tampoco es La Conjura De Los Necios de John Kennedy Toole. Sin embargo, Antal Szerb ha inyectado en el Paraíso Opuesto (Original: Oliver VII, 1942) elementos estéticos que lo ubican en esta misma familia que ha encontrado la vía de lo cómico o de lo absurdo para sobrevivir a lo trágico. Creo que esto se relaciona con que el libro trata sobre el poder, la insignificancia, el dinero, la miseria, la ambición, la modestia, la astucia, la estupidez, temas que pueden encontrarse en el nodo de la parodia. Según Fredric Jameson la parodia se diferencia del pastiche porque la primera tiende al efecto humorístico, el segundo no. El Paraíso Opuesto es divertido, hace reír de principio a fin. Si buscásemos lúdicamente un libro candidato a referente de esta parodia pienso que un buen competidor sería El Príncipe de Maquiavelo o Los Condenados de la Tierra de Franz Fanon (1961). Szerb no soporta la solemnidad que se emplea para ejercer el poder. Creo que este es el núcleo del libro, su centro vital: el poder es ficcional. Las supuestas virtudes del poder se vuelven fácilmente vicios que mueven a risa en este relato genial. Opino que el estilo de Szerb en este libro está articulado con el ritmo. Hay una música diegética que narra por sí misma. Es una música virtuosa, lúdica, por momentos rápida, por momentos lenta, que cambia de registro sorpresivamente. El contenido del relato se ajusta a esa música. El Paraíso Opuesto pienso que puede ser leído de muchas maneras. Una catarata de analogías históricas, filosóficas, sociológicas, políticas, psicológicas pueden encontrarse entre sus páginas. Una impresión personal: si bien se trata de una novela, todo el tiempo me pareció estar leyendo una obra de teatro. Debe ser otra broma de Szerb lograda con algún recurso técnico que se me escapa. También recordé los libros y la música de Boris Vian, compulsivamente. Por momentos también me pareció ir y venir de Los Sorias de Alberto Laiseca. En síntesis, El Paraíso Opuesto narra las aventuras de una monarquía muy particular en clave de parodia. Opino que se trata de un libro hilarante para los lectores que rechazamos la solemnidad de cualquier forma de política. Imagino, por contraste, que el lector fosilizado por conformidad con cualquier ficción política puede recibir este libro como un irrespetuoso insulto a la verdadera política, esa que es correcta, honesta, capaz de generar el mayor bienestar para la mayor cantidad de gente (sic). Pienso que se trata de un libro inteligente, divertido, de lectura muy recomendable. Pienso que la seriedad del lector ante esta obra de arte es un interesante indicador del dogmatismo fosilizado, es decir, de la pura y directa incapacidad de pensar. Excelente edición de La Bestia Equilátera.
January 14, 2015
Úgy közelítettem felé, mint macska a műegérhez. Lassan, óvatosan, kellő messzeségből szemlélgettem, majd közelebb lopózván méregettem alakját, vastagságát, igényes borítóját. Maradék bátorságomból merítve megszaglásztam, apránként ízlelgettem fülszövegét, elmélkedtem az oldaltükör felett. Pedig karácsonyi ajándékként érkezett - s mint kiderült, ennél pompásabb nem is kerülhetett volna a fa alá -, de hát mégis, lesz-e most, agyilag kiszipolyozott állapotomban kellő türelmem a "tiszteletreméltószerbantalhoz", miután a Pendragon legenda is elárulta, az ő esetében a könnyedebb műfaj sem a Júlia-füzetek színvonalát jelenti, sőt... Be kell valljam, ez a regény felettébb kellemes meglepetés volt számomra. Pedig nincs benne amúgy semmi, amit ne aknázott volna ki már a lehető legteljesebb mértékben a komédia, mégis, a szerző intellektusával fűszerezve valami igazán kellemes eleggyé áll össze az egész. Nagyon olvastatja magát, nem bárgyú, és telve vagyon szellemes kiszólásokkal, társadalomkritikai megjegyzésekkel, finom ám célzatos utalásokkal, karakterpárhuzamokkal. Kifejezetten ajánlom!
February 26, 2025
Antal Szerb's prewar The Third Tower — Journeys in Italy (1936) was a book of foreboding, and even in beautiful places that a European traveller might visit, it was a grim warning to take heed of warning signs that social values were breaking down. Before it's too late.
But Oliver VII is not like that at all. Written in 1943 shortly before Szerb's murder in a Nazi labour camp, Oliver VII is a absurdist farce about a king who decamps from his responsibilities as the monarch of a failing state called Alturia, and in Venice, the artistic home of intrigue, he falls in with a gang of con-men who see his resemblance to the missing king and he ends up impersonating himself at their behest.
It's a strange book, and like any farce it's a bit hard to follow what's going on, and I turned to the Afterword by Len Rix to see if there were insights there to help me make sense of what I had read. My previous reading of The Tower made me reluctant to entertain the idea that Szerb had just written an 'entertainment' even though the perilous last years of his life might have meant that entertainment was just what was needed as a counter to misery. The publisher's description at Goodreads is not helpful (nor particularly enticing IMHO).
The Afterword, however, was enlightening, though not quite in the way that Len Rix expresses it. It was Max Cairnduff's review that helped me join the dots.
But when we read this in the context of Len Rix's Afterword, we can see that in these last years of his life under the Nazi regime, Szerb himself was learning to his great cost that his own identity was not what he thought it was. He was a liberal Christian Hungarian, but that was not the identity assigned to him by the Nazis. They re-classified him as a Jew and an alien in his own country, which made him subject to increasingly perilous circumstances.
Though Oliver's identity changes in the novella are entirely consistent with the traditions of farce, and make no reference whatsoever to contemporary events, the reader can see that Szerb is exploring the question: what happens to personal agency; status; and romantic, social and political relationships when identity is suddenly unstable? What happens to personality when legitimately exercised control over others is illegitimately reversed? And what happens to the sense of security that comes from being in control of your own life, when it is gone?
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/02/26/o...
But Oliver VII is not like that at all. Written in 1943 shortly before Szerb's murder in a Nazi labour camp, Oliver VII is a absurdist farce about a king who decamps from his responsibilities as the monarch of a failing state called Alturia, and in Venice, the artistic home of intrigue, he falls in with a gang of con-men who see his resemblance to the missing king and he ends up impersonating himself at their behest.
It's a strange book, and like any farce it's a bit hard to follow what's going on, and I turned to the Afterword by Len Rix to see if there were insights there to help me make sense of what I had read. My previous reading of The Tower made me reluctant to entertain the idea that Szerb had just written an 'entertainment' even though the perilous last years of his life might have meant that entertainment was just what was needed as a counter to misery. The publisher's description at Goodreads is not helpful (nor particularly enticing IMHO).
A witty reworking of one of the most interesting questions of existentialism, this is a playful work of comic philosophy.
The Afterword, however, was enlightening, though not quite in the way that Len Rix expresses it. It was Max Cairnduff's review that helped me join the dots.
The novel becomes an examination of identity, of how we become who we are and how who we are changes according to who others think we are. Oliver steps beyond convention, represented in part by the heavy and restrictive greatcoat the king is required to wear on all formal occasions, and changes from being a man who is given his part in life (for a king is born to be a king, and has no other options) to one who chooses it. (Max Cairnduff, Pechorin's Journal, The real test of life was uncertainty, 4 Oct 2012, underlining mine.)
But when we read this in the context of Len Rix's Afterword, we can see that in these last years of his life under the Nazi regime, Szerb himself was learning to his great cost that his own identity was not what he thought it was. He was a liberal Christian Hungarian, but that was not the identity assigned to him by the Nazis. They re-classified him as a Jew and an alien in his own country, which made him subject to increasingly perilous circumstances.
In October 1942, the questions of identity and loyalty that feature so strongly in Szerb’s fiction took a new and urgent form. A lifelong Catholic and a sincere if somewhat free-thinking Christian, he found himself reclassified as a Jew (by descent) and therefore an alien in the land of his birth. Religious affiliation was no longer a defence. Now it was his turn to choose: between living out the role he had been so cruelly allotted, and the chance to flee. At first he simply clung to hope, while his scholarly works were banned, and Oliver, passed off as a translation from the English of a supposed A H Redcliff, sank without trace. (His widow kept it in a drawer for the next twenty years). He lost the right to teach in his university; was summoned for periods of forced labour. Next came the yellow star and the ghetto. Ahead lay the death camps. (Kindle Edition p 204)
Though Oliver's identity changes in the novella are entirely consistent with the traditions of farce, and make no reference whatsoever to contemporary events, the reader can see that Szerb is exploring the question: what happens to personal agency; status; and romantic, social and political relationships when identity is suddenly unstable? What happens to personality when legitimately exercised control over others is illegitimately reversed? And what happens to the sense of security that comes from being in control of your own life, when it is gone?
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/02/26/o...
January 8, 2025
Ez a kis konyv egyaltalan nem hasonlitott a korabbi Szerb Antal olvasmanyaimhoz, de nagyon jokat kuncogtam rajta :D
Szivesen megneznem szindarabkent is!
Szivesen megneznem szindarabkent is!
August 15, 2025
This was probably the most chaotic book I have ever read, but it was amazing. Books don't usually make me laugh out loud, but this one even made me forget about myself, and I chuckled out loud on the bus too. Hilarious novel.
I am generally very intrigued by books that have a character in the centre with struggles of identification, and the duality of their personality. The main character had similar issues, but the book was a more light-hearted one than the ones with similar themes usually are.
I loved Gervaisis' character so much. He himself deserves a 5 star, and I wish we had more of him (but all of the characters were brilliant).
I am always cautious to start a new book by favourite authors because I am afraid of being disappointed, but Antal Szerb didn't let me down, not this time either.
I had so much fun reading this!
I am generally very intrigued by books that have a character in the centre with struggles of identification, and the duality of their personality. The main character had similar issues, but the book was a more light-hearted one than the ones with similar themes usually are.
I loved Gervaisis' character so much. He himself deserves a 5 star, and I wish we had more of him (but all of the characters were brilliant).
I am always cautious to start a new book by favourite authors because I am afraid of being disappointed, but Antal Szerb didn't let me down, not this time either.
I had so much fun reading this!
December 7, 2017
I liked Oliver VII, but for me there were some gaps I would have liked filled in. About midway in the story Oliver VII isn't on the scene much. He's mainly talked about by some of the other characters. Overall, I enjoyed this humorous and witty story about a young king who along with some of his government officials engineer an uprising against himself so he can abdicate and go into exile to learn about real life.
Maybe I'm missing something because I don't know who that is on the cover art. Because of the picture on the cover, previous to reading this novel my impression was that the main character would be an elderly sovereign who decides to stage a fake uprising and coup against himself. Maybe if the main character had been middle aged to senior and inexperienced about the outside world, the novel would have been more interesting. I did love the lighthearted dialogue throughout.
Despite giving three stars I would still recommend Oliver VII. Antal Szerb who was Jewish was transported and killed in a concentration camp not long after he finished this novel. The world was closing in on him in a horrible way, but he still have the emotional strength and optimistic to pen such a book at such a time which makes it all rather impressive.
Maybe I'm missing something because I don't know who that is on the cover art. Because of the picture on the cover, previous to reading this novel my impression was that the main character would be an elderly sovereign who decides to stage a fake uprising and coup against himself. Maybe if the main character had been middle aged to senior and inexperienced about the outside world, the novel would have been more interesting. I did love the lighthearted dialogue throughout.
Despite giving three stars I would still recommend Oliver VII. Antal Szerb who was Jewish was transported and killed in a concentration camp not long after he finished this novel. The world was closing in on him in a horrible way, but he still have the emotional strength and optimistic to pen such a book at such a time which makes it all rather impressive.
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March 20, 2015A determinedly whimsical and often uproarious farce in which a Ruritanian monarch, chafing at the restrictions of rank, engineers a coup against himself. Seeking real life in exile, he instead ends up posing as himself. The lack of real jeopardy, the ubiquitous impostors, recall Wodehouse even more strongly than Szerb's debut; would that all revolutions could be this charming. Szerb himself, meanwhile, would die in one of Hitler's camps three years later. And right there you have the gap between the 20th century of dreams, and the bastard era as it really was.
June 24, 2016
Sólo había leído de Szerb: “La leyenda de los Pendragon” y me había parecido excelente, una mezcla muy lograda entre humor y esoterismo sobre el Grial. Este libro (el último que escribió) continúa con el fino humor, las situaciones disparatadas, medio novela de detectives, media novela de intriga palaciega. Muy buena.
May 17, 2024
Prva knjiga od ovog čoveka i prva uopšte mađarska knjiga koju sam pročitao.
Da li je ispunila očekivanja? Nije ih ni bilo pa je teško reći. Nisam znao šta da očekujem.
Knjiga je simpatična. Miks komedije, bajke i političko društvene satire.
Priča prati kraljevinu Alturiju i njenog mladog kralja kako zbog neozbiljne politike finansija dolazi do bankrota. Kralj se pomalo umorio od tog života ali i predosetio da mu neki ljudi spremaju zaveru pa možda i ubistvo pa odlučuje da ih preduhitri i sam na sebe izvrši kontrolisani državni udar. Beži u Veneciju gde odlučuje da se posveti umetnosti i slobodi. Tamo upoznaje bandu prevaranata i trgovce umetnina i upoznaje i taj stil zivota.
Saznaje da nove vlasti u njegovoj zemlji hoce da potpisu ugovore sa susedima i privatnim firmama koje bi sve resurse predale u tudje ruke.
Uz pomoc ovih prevaranata koji nisu ni znali ko je on on pokusava da izvrsi novi drzqvni udar uz pomoc njih i vrati vlast i spreci izdaju.
E sad zasto ocena 3 od 5. Pa knjiga je pre svega kratka. Priča nema dubinu. Vidimo segmente kako sam sebe zbacuje sa vlasti a onda malo te avanture po Italiji ali ubrzo vec tamo zeli da ss opet vrati na vlast jer je sazreo kao covek. To je dobra ideja ali posto je kratka knjiga i nekako prebrzo sve ide pa se stiče utisak da ovaj ni sam ne zna šta hoće. U stilu u prošlom poglavlju bezi i hoce slobodu a u sledećem već hoće nazad.
Da je knjiga bila duža sa više avanture i događaja koji bi ga promenili i naterali da sazori pa da se onda vraća nazad na velika vrata , knjiga bi imala veći uticaj. Ovako polovično.
Ipak stil pisanja mi se sviđa, humor, dijalozi..
Čujem da ovaj pisac ima i bolje ocenjene knjige pa se radujem da ih pročitam.
Da li je ispunila očekivanja? Nije ih ni bilo pa je teško reći. Nisam znao šta da očekujem.
Knjiga je simpatična. Miks komedije, bajke i političko društvene satire.
Priča prati kraljevinu Alturiju i njenog mladog kralja kako zbog neozbiljne politike finansija dolazi do bankrota. Kralj se pomalo umorio od tog života ali i predosetio da mu neki ljudi spremaju zaveru pa možda i ubistvo pa odlučuje da ih preduhitri i sam na sebe izvrši kontrolisani državni udar. Beži u Veneciju gde odlučuje da se posveti umetnosti i slobodi. Tamo upoznaje bandu prevaranata i trgovce umetnina i upoznaje i taj stil zivota.
Saznaje da nove vlasti u njegovoj zemlji hoce da potpisu ugovore sa susedima i privatnim firmama koje bi sve resurse predale u tudje ruke.
Uz pomoc ovih prevaranata koji nisu ni znali ko je on on pokusava da izvrsi novi drzqvni udar uz pomoc njih i vrati vlast i spreci izdaju.
E sad zasto ocena 3 od 5. Pa knjiga je pre svega kratka. Priča nema dubinu. Vidimo segmente kako sam sebe zbacuje sa vlasti a onda malo te avanture po Italiji ali ubrzo vec tamo zeli da ss opet vrati na vlast jer je sazreo kao covek. To je dobra ideja ali posto je kratka knjiga i nekako prebrzo sve ide pa se stiče utisak da ovaj ni sam ne zna šta hoće. U stilu u prošlom poglavlju bezi i hoce slobodu a u sledećem već hoće nazad.
Da je knjiga bila duža sa više avanture i događaja koji bi ga promenili i naterali da sazori pa da se onda vraća nazad na velika vrata , knjiga bi imala veći uticaj. Ovako polovično.
Ipak stil pisanja mi se sviđa, humor, dijalozi..
Čujem da ovaj pisac ima i bolje ocenjene knjige pa se radujem da ih pročitam.
February 27, 2022
Inteligente novela sobre lo que genera el vacío de poder en un pais imaginario de regimen monárquico llamado Alturia.
Alturia es una nacion pequeña que esta atravesando una crisis económica profunda, por eso cuando aparece la posibilidad de conseguir una importante alianza comercial se desata una conspiración palaciega.
Lo novedoso en esta historia es que no cae en el clásico argumento de "varios conspiradores intentando derrocar al rey y reemplazarlo con sus egoístas ansias de poder".
Acá es el rey el que ya no quiere gobernar, desaparece y eso desata una serie de peripecias que termina transformando la novela, casi, en una comedia de enredos.
El defecto que tiene, y que me hizo no disfrutar tanto, es que tiene una estructura casi teatral, donde entran y salen de escena, muchos personajes, esto hace que ninguno de ellos este lo suficientemente bien delineado, y confunda un poco, me costo seguir la trama, ya que no me acordaba que función cumplía algún personaje que había aparecido unas paginas antes.
Pero puede que sea la intención buscada, porque agregado a esta confusión, nada termina siendo lo que parece.
Alturia es una nacion pequeña que esta atravesando una crisis económica profunda, por eso cuando aparece la posibilidad de conseguir una importante alianza comercial se desata una conspiración palaciega.
Lo novedoso en esta historia es que no cae en el clásico argumento de "varios conspiradores intentando derrocar al rey y reemplazarlo con sus egoístas ansias de poder".
Acá es el rey el que ya no quiere gobernar, desaparece y eso desata una serie de peripecias que termina transformando la novela, casi, en una comedia de enredos.
El defecto que tiene, y que me hizo no disfrutar tanto, es que tiene una estructura casi teatral, donde entran y salen de escena, muchos personajes, esto hace que ninguno de ellos este lo suficientemente bien delineado, y confunda un poco, me costo seguir la trama, ya que no me acordaba que función cumplía algún personaje que había aparecido unas paginas antes.
Pero puede que sea la intención buscada, porque agregado a esta confusión, nada termina siendo lo que parece.
October 19, 2017
The plot in this book is full of great twists. As I discovered the author of this book and the great twists his life took, this book became just a little sweeter.
My initial thoughts were that this book is a very enjoyable short read. An engaging story about a reluctant king, set in his kingdom and Venice, with intrigue, interesting women and an ending that seems right.
After finishing it, and reading the afterword by Len Rix, I realized what an accomplishment of spirit it was for Antal Szerb (A man who grew up christen. Whose heritage was found to be Jewish. Who ultimately decided to stay with his nation, friends and all the others who were labeled Jewish. And in 1945 was murdered by the Nazi's in a death camp.) to write such a book. A story in which the characters come to accept the role they have been allotted in life.
"For him, a man (and a woman😉) defines himself by doing what his situation requires"
My initial thoughts were that this book is a very enjoyable short read. An engaging story about a reluctant king, set in his kingdom and Venice, with intrigue, interesting women and an ending that seems right.
After finishing it, and reading the afterword by Len Rix, I realized what an accomplishment of spirit it was for Antal Szerb (A man who grew up christen. Whose heritage was found to be Jewish. Who ultimately decided to stay with his nation, friends and all the others who were labeled Jewish. And in 1945 was murdered by the Nazi's in a death camp.) to write such a book. A story in which the characters come to accept the role they have been allotted in life.
"For him, a man (and a woman😉) defines himself by doing what his situation requires"
February 22, 2018
This is from the Translator's Afterword (The excellent translator is Len Rix):
"Since life, for [Szerb], is a joyous, miraculous thing, and love not entirely an illusion, the instability of the 'self' is in fact a form of release. Its inconsistent nature, and the endlessly ingenious strategies it devises to keep its end up, are necessarily comic. The art that grows from this realization is too benign for satire, too shrewd for sentimentality; it pulls off that almost impossible trick of accommodating a disillusion bordering on cynicism with an amused, indeed delighted, acceptance of the world with all its faults."
Rix describes this attitude using Szerb's own term from an earlier book (The Pendragon Legend): "neo-frivolism." I think it's not a bad outlook.
Szerb has been my happiest find of recent years.
"Since life, for [Szerb], is a joyous, miraculous thing, and love not entirely an illusion, the instability of the 'self' is in fact a form of release. Its inconsistent nature, and the endlessly ingenious strategies it devises to keep its end up, are necessarily comic. The art that grows from this realization is too benign for satire, too shrewd for sentimentality; it pulls off that almost impossible trick of accommodating a disillusion bordering on cynicism with an amused, indeed delighted, acceptance of the world with all its faults."
Rix describes this attitude using Szerb's own term from an earlier book (The Pendragon Legend): "neo-frivolism." I think it's not a bad outlook.
Szerb has been my happiest find of recent years.
July 13, 2021
Tr. Len Rix. SPOILER ALERT. Although I read it too long ago to remember why I know that Journey by Moonlight had a real impact on me at the time. This feels a lot ‘jollier’ and Len Rix’s afterword explains why very movingly. It is hard to believe that the person who wrote this just five or so years earlier died such a horrible, violent, pointless death. I actually found it quite hard to separate the knowledge of this from the book as I kept looking for a deeper meaning, but by all accounts this is what is seems - a gentle, comedic story about a group of characters who turn out to be fundamentally decent and live (relatively) happy ever after. It reminded me quite a lot of English writing of the time - although it’s probably kinder and more generous towards its characters. Fundamentally it’s an all round light hearted, amusing ‘yarn’ and well a nice break from my normal reading.
February 8, 2019
Ramotka. A moje polskie wydanie nie dość że trzyma się ledwo ledwo, to brak mu kilkunastu stron.
Ale jak miło się czyta tę z lekka zakręconą satyrę. I bardzo dowcipną - te spiski, tajne sprzysiężenia, bezkrwawe rewolucje, komiczne przebieranki. Trochę staromodnego absurdu ale ile ciepła! zwykłej i prostej nadziei! (aż muszę sprawdzić kiedy Szerb to napisał).
Tak pisać w tamtych czasach?
[po napisaniu w/w w końcu poszukałem biogramu AS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antal_S...) wygląda na to, że będę musiał napisać wszystko od nowa... "Oliwera VII" napisał Szerb w 1943 roku, 2 lata później został zamordowany]
Ale jak miło się czyta tę z lekka zakręconą satyrę. I bardzo dowcipną - te spiski, tajne sprzysiężenia, bezkrwawe rewolucje, komiczne przebieranki. Trochę staromodnego absurdu ale ile ciepła! zwykłej i prostej nadziei! (aż muszę sprawdzić kiedy Szerb to napisał).
Tak pisać w tamtych czasach?
[po napisaniu w/w w końcu poszukałem biogramu AS (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antal_S...) wygląda na to, że będę musiał napisać wszystko od nowa... "Oliwera VII" napisał Szerb w 1943 roku, 2 lata później został zamordowany]
May 8, 2020
You would think it is a fluffy, light, funny entertainment, and yes, it is a... fluffy, light, funny entertainment indeed. But of course Szerb could not hide the Szerb of the Journey by Moonlight. Just when you think this fast paced, featherweight farce is almost over with the usual loud and crazy happy ending, just a few pages before its closure the shadow of the Journey by Moonlight falls onto the text and suddenly you find yourself mesmerized and deeply moved by what you are reading. It does not last long, just a few paragraphs, but those few paragraphs are the reason we remember this short novel for ever.
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