Parallel Stories (Hungarian: Párhuzamos történetek) is a 2005 novel in three volumes by the Hungarian writer Péter Nádas. It comprises the installments The Silent Province (A néma tartomány), In the Depths of the Night (Az éjszaka legmélyén), and A Breath of Freedom (A szabadság lélegzete). The narrative portrays Hungary during the 20th century. The novel took 18 years to write.[1] It was published in English as one volume in 2011.
 First editions | |
| Author | Péter Nádas |
|---|---|
| Original title | Párhuzamos történetek |
| Translator | Imre Goldstein |
| Language | Hungarian |
| Publisher | Jelenkor Kiadó |
Publication date | 2005 |
| Publication place | Hungary |
Published in English | 2011 |
| Pages | 1520 |
| ISBN | 9636763917 (Vol. 1) ISBN 9636763925 (Vol. 2) ISBN 9636763933 (Vol. 3) |
Reception
editOn The Omnivore, a British aggregator of press reviews, the book received an "omniscore" of 2 out of 5.[2]
Thomas Marks of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "like many 18-year-olds, this novel has a tendency to take itself too seriously. Its insistent structural repetition can feel indulgent and, with its large cast of navel-gazing characters, its preferred mode of 'amplified inner monologue' intermittently falls prey to longueurs." Marks continued: "That said, it's with remarkable dexterity that Nádas splices together the political, sexual and emotional histories of two families, the Hungarian Lippay Lehrs and the German Döhrings. While theirs may be the parallel stories of the title, this is a boldly experimental novel that stubbornly refuses to follow straight lines."[3]
American author Francine Prose said that "A year after reading it, I’m still urging people to read Peter Nadas's dense, filthy, brilliant 1,100-page novel, Parallel Stories." She went on to say "My husband read aloud so much of Parallel Stories that I figured I might as well finish the rest. It was as good as he promised, and we were both glad to have someone to talk to about this crazy book."[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Kimmelman, Michael (2007-11-01). "A Writer Who Always Sees History in the Present Tense". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- ^ "Parallel Stories". The Omnivore. Archived from the original on 3 Jan 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ Marks, Thomas (2011-11-17). "Parallel Stories by Péter Nádas". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2011-11-18.
- ^ Francine Prose (January 3, 2013). "Francine Prose: By the Book". New York Times Book Review. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
External links
edit- Parallel Stories at the publisher's website
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