Product Description

At an end-of-the London season soiree, the young Hungarian scholar-dilettante Janos Batky is introduced to the Earl of Gwynedd, a reclusive eccentric who is the subject of strange rumours. Invited to the family seat, Pendragon Castle in North Wales, Batky receives a mysterious phone-call warning him not to go...Antal Szerb's first novel "The Pendragon Legend" (1934), set in Wales is a gently satirical blend of gothic and romantic genres, crossed with the murder mystery format to produce a fast-moving and often hilarious romp. But beneath the surface, the reader becomes aware of a steely intelligence probing moral, psychological and religious questions.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #199766 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-31
• Original language: Hungarian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Review
Antal Szerb belongs with the master novelists of the 20th century --Paul Bailey -- Daily Telegraph

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

From the Publisher
A new translation into English of a classic of Hungarian Literature

Customer Reviews

Great stuff
This is tremendous fun, quite unputdownable. A young Hungarian in 1930s London is invited to an isolated castle by a mysterious aristocrat and becomes caught up in murderous conspiracies, spooky goings-on and the search for the secrets of the Rosicrucians.

It's both thriller and comedy, and by turns genuinely funny and genuinely gripping and eerie. A lot of the fun comes from the narrator's bemused but affectionate Mitteleuropean take on the English types he encounters. The characters are lively and there's an agreeable sense of the author being a sophisticated mind on holiday.

I hate to sound moronic but someone should probably turn this into a film; or better, tone down the somewhat gruesome ending and make it into a BBC Christmas drama. Hugely enjoyable.

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.)