The Traveler [Hardcover]

Antal Szerb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2003

In 1945, near the end of World War II, Antal Szerb, the author of The Traveler, was executed along with 2000 other Hungarian Jews during a forced march westward. Three years later the New York Jewish Refugee Aid Society erected a memorial in the Hungarian town of Balf where the executions had taken place. Part of the memorial is an open book, engraved in stone, bearing the following Antal Szerb quote: "Freedom is the concern not only of one nation but of all mankind." In 1995, on the 50th anniversary date of Szerb's execution, Peter Hargitai, The Traveler's American translator, and his students at Florida International University had the name of Antal Szerb inscribed into the memorial wall of the Holocaust Memorial in the city of Miami Beach.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Hungarian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

ANTAL SZERB (1901-1945) was a Hungarian literary historian, essayist, novelist and man of letters. Although he is know chiefly for his History of Hungarian Literature(1934), his History of World Literature(19 41), and for his essays on English literature and cultural history, his fiction, which includes The Traveler(1937), remains a unique contribution to the cosmopolitan literature of his time.

PETER HARGITAI is a poet, novelist, and an award-winning translator of Hungarian literature. His translation of Attila József’s Perched on Nothing’s Branch is listed in Harold Bloom’s The Western Cannon. He is on the English faculty at Florida International University in Miami.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Authors Choice Press (May 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595795080
• ISBN-13: 978-0595795086
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (271 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,833,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable novel, April 16, 2005

By 

Charday - See all my reviews

Antal Szerb's The Traveler is an outstanding piece of work. Peter Hargitai's translation of this great novel is brilliant. In addition, his afterward, which includes details and reveals secrets about the novel and its characters, is both interesting and appealing to the readers. This story is exploding with love, life, death, and mystery. Not only does this volume keep the readers in suspense, but it takes the readers on a journey to a place where anything is possible.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the Usual, April 25, 2011

By 

Rebecca A Valls - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Traveler (Paperback)

This was one of my first translated reads, and I must say it was nothing like what I expected. But hey, that's what one looks for when reading foreign novels, right? The characters were anything but usual, and the story's events were unpredictable. Mihaly, the protagonist, can't seem to figure out what he wants in life. He's just one of the characters that the reader can relate to in how he is on this road to realizing who he is, who he wants to be. At the same time, Mihaly has such an unorthodox way of thinking, that it keeps the reader on their toes as to what he's going to do next-whether it be commit suicide or escape his honeymoon to find a child-hood friend. The biggest theme of the novel seems to be self discovery, which is a theme that everyone can relate to. When reading the book, it's important to remember that it has been translated from Hungarian. Interestingly enough, the English-readers have had a different take on the characters than that of the Hungarian-readers. Overall I would suggest for others to read the novel, not only for the enjoyment of it, but to also expand their knowledge of other cultures.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Traveler, March 9, 2008

By 

Antonio Benitez (FIU, Miami, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Traveler (Paperback)

The Traveler, written by Antal Szerb and translated by Peter Hargitai, illustrates the protagonist Mihaly as he is on his honeymoon with his wife Erzsi visiting Italy, a city that he has been dying to see. However, as the story progresses we can see the journey of their honeymoon turn into a frantic quest in which Mihaly searches for his young childhood friend Eva, after hearing that Tamas, Eva's brother and Mihaly's close friend, committed suicide. In a sense, The Traveler is a psychic journey through oneself in which the adolescent becomes an adult. In the novel we see Mihaly the adolescent, as he has no trouble retelling his childhood tales to his new wife Erzsi, including the fact that they used to play together by acting plays, in which Eva was the punisher and Tamas and Mihaly were the victims. The adolescent that we see is more evident by his apparent infatuation with Eva and her "smile" upon inflicting punishment, which according to Mihaly, is similar to the way Erzsi smiles
The journey begins when Erzsi and Mihaly were on a train ride toward Rome, when Mihaly suddenly got off at the Terontola station to grab a cup of coffee and then not knowingly boarded the wrong train, which headed toward Perugia. Instead of panicking and worrying for Erzsi, he surprisingly continues on, exploring the city of Perugia. He wanders so much that he ends up suffering from a severe case of fatigue and has to be hospitalized. Mihaly spends an extended period of time at the hospital while he recuperates, and Ellesley, a doctor at the hospital who speaks English and was attracted to Mihaly's case, tends to him. After Mihaly recovers, Ellesley sends him to the city of Gubbio to see a priest, a place were Ellesley had an encounter with a hallucinating woman. Little did he know, but the priest he was going to see was Ervin himself, locally known as Pater Severinus. Seeking spiritual guidance, Mihaly pleas with Ervin to tell him what he should do and Ervin tells him to just head toward Rome. Following instructions, Mihaly heads toward Rome not knowing what was waiting for him.
Once in Rome, a series of events unfold around Mihaly, the most critical ones being filing for divorce due to a lack of money and more importantly, he caught a glimpse of Eva. Upon seeing her, Mihaly delays his return home because now he knew why he had to go to Rome; however, his happiness is short lived because Eva sent a letter to Mihaly indicating to not come looking for her. Unable to comprehend why Eva would not want to see him, Mihaly's happiness hits rock bottom. During this time, Erzsi visits Mihay and tells him what has conspired and they say their goodbyes, because they both know that their relationship is over. Furthermore, Mihaly receives a letter from his family back in Budapest, urging him to return home. Then, in a sudden turn of events, Eva appears at Mihaly's doorstep and explains to him what has transpired with Tamas and where she is going from here. Upon hearing this, Mihaly ask one favor of her: to be at his side when he commits suicide. Eva promises and they agree to meet again a couple of days later. During the last remaining hours leading to the event, Mihaly's plan is halted by the baptism of Vannina's cousin (which he has forgotten) and has no choice but to attend, stopping his suicide attempt. The following day, after awakening from yesterday's festivities, he eventually winds up in his hotel room, where his father greets him. Mihaly is surprised to see his father, as it is unusual for him to leave the family business. Mihaly's father pleas with his son to head back home, and eventually Mihaly accepts and they are on their way home.
Toward the end of the novel, we see Mihaly the adolescent become an adult. During the visit of his father, Mihaly stated that "everything else seemed so insignificant, Eva and his death-wish, even Italy" (The Traveler, 231). Furthermore, Erzsi wrote a letter to Mihaly stating that "I am no longer coming for you and that you must live, that the death of Tamas had to do with himself and that we have to find our own deaths" (234). And finally, the last lines of the novel say that "he must stay alive...live like a rat among the ruins...and while one lives, it is always possible for something to happen" (234). The Traveler is Mihaly's journey as he makes the transition from an adolescent into an adult.