Translated by Carol Brown Janeway

When I saw that Stu at Winstonsdad’s Blog was hosting Hungarian Lit Month this February, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to find anything I wanted to read. Of course, I came up with a whole list of titles that interested me, but knew I’d only have time for one this month and decided on Embers by Sándor Márai.

The book was first published in Hungarian in 1942 as A gyertyák csonkig égnek, which means ‘candles burn until the end’. The English translation is by Carol Brown Janeway, who translated it from a German version, Die Glut. Although I’m not able to read it in its original Hungarian, this translation seems to have captured all of the elegance and beauty of the writing.

The story takes place in a castle at the foot of the Carpathian mountains, home to Henrik, who was once a general in the Austro-Hungarian army and continues to be referred to as the General for most of the book. As the novel opens, he is preparing for a visit from an old friend, Konrad, whom he hasn’t seen for more than forty years. Before Konrad arrives at the castle, we are taken back to the early days of their friendship when they meet as boys attending a prestigious military school together. Although the two are inseparable, Konrad in particular is always conscious of the differences between them – Henrik comes from a wealthy, privileged background whereas Konrad’s parents have had to make huge sacrifices for their son’s military training. And unlike Henrik, Konrad doesn’t really even want a military career – he would rather be a musician.

By the time Konrad arrives for the candlelit dinner the General has prepared, we’ve learned a lot about their friendship, but there’s one thing we still don’t know and that’s the reason why it ended. We know that something bad must have happened, bad enough to keep them apart for forty-one years, but we don’t find out what it was until the General sits down at the table and lays out what he knows, or thinks he knows, about the events leading to Konrad’s disappearance. Although we do get some answers, there are still some questions remaining at the end of the novel; it’s not a book with a tidy conclusion or a happy ending, but maybe that’s the point. It doesn’t really matter whether the General’s questions (or ours) are answered – the most important thing is what he’s always believed and how it has affected the way he’s chosen to live his life.

Embers is a short novel, but as there’s very little actual plot, I don’t think it really needed to be much longer. The whole second half consists of the General delivering a monologue about Konrad’s character and his betrayal of their friendship, during which Konrad is barely given a chance to speak or explain himself. This feels unnatural and I think if it had gone on for much longer or been less well written I would have lost interest. However, Márai managed to hold my attention until the end and although I didn’t particularly love the book, I did find it fascinating.

Although the General’s late wife Krisztina plays an important part in the story, she never appears directly and the novel focuses almost entirely on the two main characters. It’s interesting to see how the author writes about the topic of male friendship and whether such a close bond formed in youth can ever truly be broken. He also explores and contrasts the differences between the two and the General can be seen as representing the final days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ended in 1918. While Konrad is the one who left and tried to build a new life for himself, the General became a recluse, rarely leaving his castle and clinging to a world and a way of life that has gone. This interpretation gives extra meaning to the title, with the candles burning out as the General talks, leaving embers behind at the end.

I see some of Sándor Márai’s other books are also available in English; if you’ve read any of them, let me know which you would recommend.