They Were Counted (UNESCO Collection of Representative Works: European) [Paperback]

Miklos Banffy (Author), Patrick Thursfield (Translator), Kathy Banffy-Jelen (Translator)

Book Description

Series: UNESCO Collection of Representative Works: European | Publication Date: January 1, 1999

Paints an unrivalled portrait of the vanished world of pre-1914 Hungary, as seen through the eyes of two young aristocratic Transylvanian cousins.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

B nffy (1873-1950), a wealthy Transylvanian diplomat and a member of the Hungarian Parliament before World War I, was later foreign minister of Hungary. This book, the first volume of his "Transylvanian Trilogy," published just before World War II, is a huge, historical, romantic novel that keeps the reader involved. Set in the first decade of the 20th century, it portrays a society clinging to an opulent lifestyle of hunting parties and balls and gossip while on the verge of vast change. The two main characters, cousins Balint Ab dy and L szl? Gyeroffy, are studies in contrast. Ab dy leads a respectable life except for a hopeless love affair with a married woman, while Gyeroffy represents decadence, becoming addicted to gambling and alcohol. Good storytelling, solid historical background, and enjoyable drama recommend this for academic and large public libraries.AAnn Irvine, Montgomery Cty. P.L., Silver Spring, MD
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

They Were Counted ($28.95 paperback original; Jun. 14, 1999; 596 pp.; 1-900850-15-X): This roomy, eventful historical novel is the opening volume of a celebrated trilogy (A Transylvanian Story, 193440) written by a remarkably gifted (Romanian-born) Hungarian aristocrat (18731950) whose busy career as an influential diplomat somehow left time for B nffy's equally impressive achievements as a painter and designer, musical administrator (who befriended Bla Bartk), and writer. They Were Counted is a Tolstoyan panorama that dramatizes Hungarian and Romanian history in the prewar years 190414 by juxtaposing the sometimes intertwined lives of two highborn cousins: one a heartless sybarite who casually throws his life away, the other a compassionate defender of his country's endangered peasant populace. It's a great work, whose forthcoming further volumes (the whole in English to be collectively entitled The Writing on the Wall) will be eagerly awaited by readers swept up in B nffy's replete, absorbing, and very moving story. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Arcadia Books (January 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190085015X
• ISBN-13: 978-1900850155
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,601,661 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding epic novel, February 23, 2001

By 

Jason Tomes (Oxford, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Were Counted (UNESCO Collection of Representative Works: European) (Paperback)

I am not someone much given to extravagant praise, but I have no hesitation in awarding five stars to 'They were counted', a novel of very high quality indeed. I had only ever read of Count Miklos Banffy as foreign minister of Hungary in the 1920s. I had no idea that he was also an extremely accomplished novelist. His pace is leisurely, to be sure, but his writing is so good that this is hardly a failing. The novel paints a splendid picture of aristocratic life in Hungary circa 1905, but it possesses much more than historical interest. Banffy writes about his characters with intelligence, perception, and sympathy. I was rather taken aback to see Laszlo Gyeroffy described in one review as 'a heartless sybarite'. On reflection, I suppose the cap does fit - but Banffy presents even Laszlo in such a way that one cannot help feeling for him. The author is especially sensitive in his handling of relations between the sexes. The tortured romance between Balint and Adrienne is superbly delineated. May I offer readers one word of advice? Like many other really big novels - 'The Forsyte Saga' and 'Doctor Zhivago' spring to mind - this book can seem rather daunting at the start. The problem is simply that there are so many characters that it is difficult to lodge them in the mind. Do not worry! Most of them do not need to be followed closely. I will not spoil anyone's enjoyment if I state now that the ones to keep your eye on are Balint abady, Laszlo Gyeroffy, Adrienne Uzdy, Klara Kollonich, Egon Wickwitz, and Fanny Beredy. Incidentally, I do think that the publisher might have included some guidance as to how to pronounce Hungarian names. True, it is not strictly necessary, but my curiosity was aroused, and to satisfy it even partially I had to resort to the pronunciation pages of 'Teach Yourself Hungarian' in the city library. I congratulate Patrick Thursfield on his fine English translation and thank Arcadia Books for enabling English readers to become acquainted with an author who deserves to be much better known than he is.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Romance, passion and politics in pre-war Hungary, March 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: They Were Counted (UNESCO Collection of Representative Works: European) (Paperback)

I couldn't put this book down - a huge and completely gripping novel set in the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. A portrait of society worthy of Dickens, with the historical sweep of Tolstoy and the psychological insights of Dostoevsky. I can't wait for the next volumes.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a terrific historical trilogy, May 12, 2008

By 

Russell Pittman "aging literary economist" (Takoma Park, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: They Were Counted (UNESCO Collection of Representative Works: European) (Paperback)

I agree completely with the 3 readers who have already reviewed this trilogy -- it is really excellent. I would expand on 3 points already touched upon:
1. The trilogy is absolutely 1st rate in conveying the historic atmosphere of the time -- the slow, inexorable fall into war of the Austro-Hungarian empire in the 1st decade and a half of the 20th century. Historical events are interspersed into the personal action of the novel really well, as Balint's parliamentary duties require him to keep up with, and react to, the latest international developments.
2. I can't think of another book that does as well at the nuances of courtship and the general interactions of the sexes. Accidental touches, displays of skin, words or silences that mean much more than they seem -- all this is done extremely well. Perhaps the only exception is the perfection of the coupling of Balint and Adrienne every single time they meet -- though of course overall their relationship is very far from trouble-free.
3. It is true that the reader need not try to remember every character -- Banffy is very good at reminding us about just enough of the background when a secondary character makes a later appearance. But for those reading all 3 volumes, I might suggest adding to a previous reviewer's list the characters of Laszlo's mother and the men in her life. She, and to some extent they, have some importance in the 3rd volume.
By the way, if you're traveling to Hungary, the books in this trilogy make great travel companions -- and your Hungarian acquaintances will be pleased at your knowledge of this classic of their country.