Product Description

The Pendragon Legend, set in London and North Wales, is the forerunner of a style currently very much in vogue, the philosophical thriller, though it combines - and parodies - other genres as well. The mystical element is diffused through an increasingly complex plot, as all threads converge on the astonishing final chapters. For all its playfulness, it is a close counterpart of Szerb's next novel and undoubted masterpiece, Journey by Moonlight. Both are translated by Len Rix, winner of this year's Oxford Weidenfeld Translation Prize.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185621 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-30
• Released on: 2006-01-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 330 pages

Paul Bailey, The Daily Telegraph
'Antal Szerb belongs with the master novelists of the 20th century'

The Guardian, June 17, 2006
'It is an absolute treat, deliciously ludic, to be read with a big smile on your face throughout'

Synopsis
"The Pendragon Legend", set first in London and then in Wales, is a forerunner of a style currently fashionable, the philosophical thriller, though it combines other modes as well: upper-class comedy, murder-mystery and a ghost story with a compelling love interest. The mystical element, is diffused through an increasingly complex plot, as all threads converge in the final chapters. It is an essentially experimental novel, the fore-runner to "Journey by Moonlight", Szerb's quintessential amalgamation of the romantic, the mystical and the transcendental. It is translated by Paul Vincent.

Customer Reviews

Gothic mystery with tones of occult and comedy
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.)