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If We're Talking Budapest
A short story anthology written by Hungarian and international writers who live in Budapest or have resided there in the past.
Every story provides a unique perspective on the city of bridges, baths and bars, its odd encounters and existential dilemmas.
This is the first book published by the Panel Literature Association and Panel magazine. The story collection is part of a multimedia project of the same name that also includes an interactive map of Budapest and short films based on the stories from the anthology.
Every story provides a unique perspective on the city of bridges, baths and bars, its odd encounters and existential dilemmas.
This is the first book published by the Panel Literature Association and Panel magazine. The story collection is part of a multimedia project of the same name that also includes an interactive map of Budapest and short films based on the stories from the anthology.
195 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2021
16 people want to read
About the author
Zsófia Bán
20 books10 followersZsófia Bán was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1957 and grew up in Brazil and Hungary. A writer, essayist, and critic of art and literature, she made her fiction debut in 2007 with
Esti iskola
[Night School: A Reader for Adults], followed by
Amikor még csak az állatok éltek
[When There Were Only Animals, 2012].
Zsófia Bán’s writing often addresses topics related to visuality, visual arts, photography, personal and cultural memory, historical trauma, as well as gender. She has written a number of essays related to the topic of literature and visuality, including those on W.G. Sebald, Susan Sontag, Imre Kertész and Péter Nádas. Her short stories and essays have been widely anthologized, and translated to a number of languages, including German, English, Spanish, Czech, Slovakian and Slovenian.
She lives and works in Budapest, where she is Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, Department of American Studies.
Le Rouge et le Noir (Moving House and Farewell)
On the Eve of No Return
......
Wikipedia
Eötvös Loránd University
Zsófia Bán’s writing often addresses topics related to visuality, visual arts, photography, personal and cultural memory, historical trauma, as well as gender. She has written a number of essays related to the topic of literature and visuality, including those on W.G. Sebald, Susan Sontag, Imre Kertész and Péter Nádas. Her short stories and essays have been widely anthologized, and translated to a number of languages, including German, English, Spanish, Czech, Slovakian and Slovenian.
She lives and works in Budapest, where she is Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, Department of American Studies.
Le Rouge et le Noir (Moving House and Farewell)
On the Eve of No Return
......
Wikipedia
Eötvös Loránd University
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 18, 2022
Short and sweet anthology of stories which take place in the streets of Budapest, the most mesmerizing city in Europe.
I didn't like that quite a lot of the stories are romantic and sexual, putting these kind of narratives at the centre of the plot. Not only this, but probably all of them were heterosexual/romantic (I'm struggling to avoid writing about politics here). I also feel like some of the Hungarian writing was lost in translation, which is a shame. What I liked is the complexity and diversity of the authors, who come from all parts of Europe and the U.S., one of them from Nové Zámky, for example. There were some really good stories, others maybe not so much, but overall I really liked it (and I shamelessly admit to being biased). It's just so nice to read about characters living their ordinary lives in the city which I think was made for me.
I didn't like that quite a lot of the stories are romantic and sexual, putting these kind of narratives at the centre of the plot. Not only this, but probably all of them were heterosexual/romantic (I'm struggling to avoid writing about politics here). I also feel like some of the Hungarian writing was lost in translation, which is a shame. What I liked is the complexity and diversity of the authors, who come from all parts of Europe and the U.S., one of them from Nové Zámky, for example. There were some really good stories, others maybe not so much, but overall I really liked it (and I shamelessly admit to being biased). It's just so nice to read about characters living their ordinary lives in the city which I think was made for me.
July 4, 2024
Reviewing an anthology of short stories is always tricky - more often than not, I find a few of them interesting and worth rereading, while some of them are forgotten by the time I turn the last page. "If We're Talking Budapest" was no different; the story "Girlkiss" deserves my 5*, the 14 others are all between 2* and 4*.
If you've ever lived in Budapest, I'd say give it a try and pick at least a few stories. If you don't know the city that much, it won't be relatable, and you'll just end up confused.
If you've ever lived in Budapest, I'd say give it a try and pick at least a few stories. If you don't know the city that much, it won't be relatable, and you'll just end up confused.
January 2, 2022
A brilliantly curated collection of beautiful stories that take the reader on a tour of Budapest, with all its complexities and broken hearts.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews