Winner of the 2004 German Publishers and Booksellers Association Peace Prize
Named a New York Times Notable Book of 1994
Winner of 1995 The New York Times Review Notable Books
An elaborate, elegant homage to the great Czech storyteller Bohumil Hrabal (author of Closely Watched Trains), The Book of Hrabal is also a farewell to the years of communism in Eastern Europe and a glowing paean to the mixed blessings of domestic life. Anna, blues-singing housewife and mother of three, addresses her reminiscences and reflections to Hrabal. They swing from domestic matters, to accounts of the injustices suffered by her family during the Stalinist 1950s and the police harassment in subsequent years, to her husband's crazy ideas. He frets over his current project, a book celebrating Hrabal, but seems unable to write it. Meanwhile, two angels, undercover as secret policemen, shadow the household-communicating via walkie-talkie-to prevent Anna from aborting her fourth child. God himself (aka Bruno) enters the scene; he chats with Hrabal, takes saxophone lessons from an irreverent Charlie Parker (unfortunately even this doesn't cure his tone-deaf ear), and tries to play the saxophone to dissuade her from ending the pregnancy.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
An elegant homage to the great Czech storyteller Bohumil Hrabal, The Book of Hrabal is also a glowing paean to blues music, saxophones, and the mixed blessings of domestic life. It is also a farewell to the years of communism in Eastern Europe. And it is a treatise on the ongoing relationship between God and humankind as reflected in the lives of a Hungarian writer and his wife. The novel centers on Anna, the blues-singing housewife and mother of three (soon to be four) who suffers through her husband's often impossible writing experiments. She addresses her reminiscences and reflections to Hrabal, his current subject. Her thoughts swing from domestic matters to the injustices suffered by her family during the Stalinist 1950s, the police harassment in subsequent years, and the many strains on her marriage. Her husband, in turn, is so hopelessly entangled in his project celebrating Hrabal that he is incapable of actually writing it. The story develops into a literary love triangle, as Hrabal becomes Anna's confidant and an invisible participant in the marriage. Meanwhile two angels shadow the house, disguised as secret policemen and speaking with God via walkie-talkie in a surprising blend of celestial and urban slang. Their mission: to prevent Anna from aborting her fourth child. When this outcome is in doubt, God himself (aka Bruno) enters the scene; he chats with Hrabal, takes saxophone lessons from an irreverent Charlie Parker, and plays the sax for Anna to try to dissuade her from ending the pregnancy. Unfortunately the Lord is tone deaf, and his love for jazz and blues is matched only by his utter lack of musical talent. A brilliant stylist, Esterhazy creates a complex and playfulnovel through deft manipulation of language, tone, and perspective.
Péter Esterházy (born 14 April 1950 in Budapest) is one of the most widely known contemporary Hungarian writers. His books are considered to be significant contributions to postwar literature.
Judith Sollosy is Senior Editor at Corvina Books in Budapest. Her translations include Staccato by István Örkény and Enre Ady's Selected Shorter Fiction.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.7. Seller Inventory # G0810111926I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Good condition. This is the average used book, that has all pages or leaves present, but may include writing. Book may be ex-library with stamps and stickers. 0.7. Seller Inventory # 353-0810111926-gdd
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books Unplugged, Amherst, NY, U.S.A.
Condition: Fair. Buy with confidence! Book is in acceptable condition with wear to the pages, binding, and some marks within 0.7. Seller Inventory # bk0810111926xvz189zvxacp
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Ergodebooks, Houston, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. 1. Product Description Winner of the 2004 German Publishers and Booksellers Association Peace Prize Named aNew York Times Notable Book of 1994 Winner of 1995 The New York Times Review Notable Books An elaborate, elegant homage to the great Czech storyteller Bohumil Hrabal (author ofClosely Watched Trains),The Book of Hrabal is also a farewell to the years of communism in Eastern Europe and a glowing paean to the mixed blessings of domestic life. Anna, blues-singing housewife and mother of three, addresses her reminiscences and reflections to Hrabal. They swing from domestic matters, to accounts of the injustices suffered by her family during the Stalinist 1950s and the police harassment in subsequent years, to her husband's crazy ideas. He frets over his current project, a book celebrating Hrabal, but seems unable to write it. Meanwhile, two angels, undercover as secret policemen, shadow the household-communicating via walkie-talkie-to prevent Anna from aborting her fourth child. God himself (aka Bruno) enters the scene; he chats with Hrabal, takes saxophone lessons from an irreverent Charlie Parker (unfortunately even this doesn't cure his tone-deaf ear), and tries to play the saxophone to dissuade her from ending the pregnancy. From Publishers Weekly Politics may make strange bedfellows, but those pairings pale beside the cast assembled here by Hungarian author Esterhazy. The odd roster includes a Hungarian writer (a nameless scribe who was "supposed to write about [the real Czech writer Bohumil] Hrabal"); his wife, Anna, who has an ongoing internal conversation with Hrabal; their unborn child, whom Anna wants to abort; their live children (who play minor roles); two angels disguised as secret policemen, who watch the house and whose mission is to prevent the abortion; and-last but hardly least-God himself, who instructs the angels, takes saxophone lessons from Charlie Parker, ponders philosophy and bickers with his nagging mother. Given this uncommon assemblage, it is perhaps not surprising that the resultant work proves often confusing-in large part because Esterhazy shifts perspective at will and without warning. Still, flashes of wit and tongue-in-cheek aphorisms frequently enliven the convoluted proceedings. Though this discursive yarn will not strike all readers' fancies, those with a fondness for mittel-European whimsy may well be charmed.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal Anna is a Hungarian housewife and mother of three who finds herself pregnant and wanting an abortion. Her husband is a writer whose current subject is the Czech author Bohumil Hrabal. Anna's reflections on her condition, her country's condition, her family, and her marriage are addressed to Hrabal, who becomes Anna's confidant. God is also a player in this freely associative novel, for He sends two angels, disguised as secret police, to watch over Anna and prevent her from aborting the child. Toward the end, with the outcome in doubt, God takes saxophone lessons from Charlie Parker in an attempt to woo the blues-loving Anna into keeping the baby. Difficult, complex, and fascinating, this 16th novel from Hungarian playwright and essayist Esterhazy will appeal to serious readers of literature.Ruth M. Ross, Olympic Coll. Lib., Bremerton, Wash.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Considering the changes in the countries once behind the Iron Curtain, it shouldn't surprise much that new, post-cold war, surrealist East European novelists are refracting these nations' revolutions through the lenses of their craft. The Hungarian Esterh{ }azy'sBook of Hrabal is a perplexing, phantasmagorical view--through the eyes of a writer, his wife, and various interconnecting spirits--of the totalitarian past and an uncertain future. Anna, who sings the blues and is saddled with an unwanted pregnancy, has a solid outlook on personal and political history that cont. Seller Inventory # SONG0810111926
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Greenwood Road Books, Bridgman, MI, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Not ex-library. Dust jacket not price clipped. Translated by Judith Sollosy. Seller Inventory # ABE-1662656595606
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Glands of Destiny First Edition Books, Sedro Woolley, WA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition, First Printing. FINE hardcover book in FINE- dust-jacket. Beautiful copy. Small crinkle at bottom of dj spine. NOT remainder marked. NOT price-clipped. NOT faded. NOT book club edition. NOT ex-library. All of our books with dust-jackets are shipped in fresh, archival-safe mylar protective sleeves. Seller Inventory # SKU1004219
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Fleur Fine Books, Port Neches, TX, U.S.A.
HARDCOVER. Condition: Used; Very Good. Northwestern University Press. Used; Very Good. Northwestern University Press, 1993. Hardcover. Previous owner name on front free end plate. Jacket has one inch close tear. Book Condition: Very Good. Jacket Condition: Good. . 1994. HARDCOVER. Seller Inventory # 9780810111929
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Glands of Destiny First Edition Books, Sedro Woolley, WA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Like New. Publisher: Northwestern University Press, Evanston, IL., 1994. First Edition, First Printing. FINE hardcover book in FINE dust-jacket. PRISTINE. As New. Unread. NOT marked. NOT price-clipped. NOT remainder marked. NOT faded. NOT a book club edition. NOT an ex-library copy. All of our books with dust-jackets are shipped in fresh, archival-safe mylar protective sleeves. Seller Inventory # SKU1012940
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Saint Georges English Bookshop, Berlin, Germany
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. Excellent used condition hardcover, unclipped jacket, unmarked text, light shelf wear, Ships from BErlin Bookshop bxn24. Seller Inventory # 10004028
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: zenosbooks, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good in Dustjacket. 1st edition. Seller Inventory # z20637
Quantity: 1 available