The Pendragon Legend [Paperback]

Antal Szerb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

The Pendragon Legend, set in London and Wales, is part philosophical thriller, upper-class comedy, murder-mystery, romance and ghost story. Its author, Antal Szerb, wrote in a manner he termed 'the new frivolism', by which serious themes are pursued through more typically lightweight genres.

Antal Szerb was born in 1901 into a cultivated Budapest family of Jewish descent. The Pendragon Legend, his first novel, was written in 1934. Journey by Moonlight appeared in 1937, followed in 1943 by The Queen's Necklace. He died in the forced-labour camp at Balf in January 1945.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A detective story, gothic novel, and social satire . . . written with great wit and a lightness of touch, The Pendragon Legend is deliberately absurd: an eccentric aristocrat working in a secret lab, a midnight rider seeking vengeance, and a woman so beautiful she leads men to suicide are just some of the elements thrown into this delightful novel."  —Telegraph

"A writer of immense subtlety and generosity, with an uncommonly light touch which masks its own artistry. His novels transform farce into poetry, comic melancholy into a kind of self-effacing grace. Can literary mastery be this quiet-seeming, this hilarious, this kind? Antal Szerb is one of the great European writers."  —Ali Smith, author, The Accidental

About the Author

Antal Szerb (1901–1945) was an essayist, novelist, playwright, and a formidable scholar whose books include History of Hungarian Literature, Journey by Moonlight, Oliver VII, and The Queen's Necklace. He was twice awarded the Baumgarten Prize, and in 1933 he was elected president of the Hungarian Literary Academy. Len Rix also translated Journey by Moonlight and Oliver VII.

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: Pushkin Press (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190128560X
• ISBN-13: 978-1901285604
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,256,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gothic mystery with tones of occult and comedy, May 15, 2008

By 

Mikko Saari (Tampere, Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pendragon Legend (Paperback)

The Pendragon Legend is an Hungarian novel from 1930s, but the story isn't particularly Hungarian. A Hungarian researcher and bibliophile János Bátky is introduced to the Earl of Pendragon and is invited to study the books in his exquisite library. Bátky soon learns that getting involved with the Pendragons can be dangerous: he is threatened by mysterious forces and many strange events happen at the Pendragon manor. Antihero Bátky is an outsider who gets drawn into quite a mess.

The story is a strange mixture of gothic horror story and light comedy. The Earl Pendragon is a gloomy old gentleman and the history of the family features legendary characters. Rosicrucianism plays an important role in the story. The Finnish publisher advertises the book as Da Vinci Code published 60 years before Dan Brown's novel. This is advertising, of course, but the books belong in the same genre.

The Pendragon Legend is a charming story. It's not high literature, but the plot is clever, Bátky is a lovely lead character and the story has a good vibe to it. I also enjoyed the old-fashioned atmosphere of the 1930's England, and the translator did a good job capturing that in the language used. The Pendragon Legend is a tasty mystery with flavours of horror and occult. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)