The Kiss: 20th Century Hungarian Short Stories

by István Bart (Editor), Endre Ady, Sándor Bródy

The present anthology comprises a piece each from thirty-one Hungarian writers, all of whom are well known in Hungary, and some of whom are read and loved in other parts of the world as well. From Endre Ady to Péter Esterházy, they have all made a unique contribution to the development of the 20th century Hungarian short story. Without them, neither the style nor the main preoccupations of Hungarian prose would be quite the same. From the tightly controlled phrasing of Ady to the seemingly loose, stream-of-consciousness style sentences of Mihály Kornis, from the grim world of the Hungarian puszta to the soccer games in the capital, this anthology, edited by István Bart, chronicles a turbulent and fascinating period of almost one-hundred years in the history—literary and otherwise—of Hungary.

Genres: Short Stories

428 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Faustibooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
When I found this at the bookstore I work, I thought it was a perfect match for me! Twentieth century? AND Hungarian??? But alas I realised that I don’t really enjoy the short story format. Some of the stories in here were great and touching, but there were others that I couldn’t even get through, especially towards the end. Here are some I really enjoyed:

- Sullen Horse by Zsigmond Móricz
- The Last Cigar at the Grey Arab by Gyula Krúdy
- Abdominal Operation by Frigyes Karinthy (this one was my favourite! Really want to read more by him)
- Omelette à Woburn by Dezso Kosztolányi
- Adventure in Uniform by Sándor Hunyady
- One-minute Stories by István Örkény
- With my Father at the Game by György Spiró

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

1995, found in a mini-library

Have read only part of the stories. Most appear to be male authors.

The very short 'Mother Is Dressing' by Erzsebet Galgoczi [female] is wonderful.

Geza Ottlik, 'Nothing's Lost', in the collection THE KISS, is pretty interesting. The character described/followed has been away from his home city for many years, and is returning for just a few days to give a concert. I'm not clear on the time - is this already after the fall of the Berlin Wall? Perhaps not. He spends most of his time wandering the city, noting how familiar buildings have been replaced by large modern ones, yet discovering his childhood friend in his old apartment.
Turns out Ottlik [approx. 1912-1980] mainly translated English books into Hungarian, and was a great specialist on bridge [the card game], cowriting an apparently well-known book on the subject in the 1970s.

Asked Katalin if any of the authors were ones she could recommend. She said merely that Peter Esterhazy was very well known. [see my comments under his name]

Mostly, of the stories I read, I felt like I had entered a realm of a different language. Not, I think, because the translations are bad, they're pretty good, but just the whole aim of the writing seems foreign to me. Some is experimental, some is satirical, there are so many [cultural] details that mean nothing to me but clearly would be of significance to Hungarian readers.

[Libglary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a while to finish this classic some short stories are beyond my expectation some aren’t. It reveal an idyllic historical events in the 20th century and its peril.

The great atrocities of one’s nation reflect on the writings of one’s author. I can relate to that by which I will never forget the places, remnants of the past, nor with anyone.

Hungarian writers can make me delve in the past, and relish the pain and triumph that never forgotten — we celebrate its memories.

[Laca_liva · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite story was " The kiss ", the first one .