''Parallel Stories'' ( hu, Párhuzamos történetek) is a 2005 novel in three volumes by the Hungarian writer
Péter Nádas
Péter Nádas (born 14 October 1942) is a Hungarian writer, playwright, and essayist.
Biography
He was born in Budapest into a Jewish family, the son of László Nádas (originally Nussbaum) and Klára Tauber. After the takeover of the Hunga ...
. It comprises the installments ''The Silent Province'' (''A néma tartomány''), ''In the Depths of the Night'' (''Az éjszaka legmélyén''), and ''A Breath of Freedom'' (''A szabadság lélegzete''). The narrative portrays Hungary during the 20th century. The novel took 18 years to write. It was published in English as one volume in 2011.
Reception
Thomas Marks of ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' wrote: "like many 18-year-olds, this novel has a tendency to take itself too seriously. Its insistent structural repetition can feel indulgent and, with its large cast of navel-gazing characters, its preferred mode of 'amplified inner monologue' intermittently falls prey to longueurs." Marks continued: "That said, it's with remarkable dexterity that Nádas splices together the political, sexual and emotional histories of two families, the Hungarian Lippay Lehrs and the German Döhrings. While theirs may be the parallel stories of the title, this is a boldly experimental novel that stubbornly refuses to follow straight lines."
American author
Francine Prose
Francine Prose (born April 1, 1947) is an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic. She is a visiting professor of literature at Bard College, and was formerly president of PEN American Center.
Life and career
Born in Brookl ...
said that "A year after reading it, I’m still urging people to read Peter Nadas's dense, filthy, brilliant 1,100-page novel, ''Parallel Stories''." She went on to say "My husband read aloud so much of ''Parallel Stories'' that I figured I might as well finish the rest. It was as good as he promised, and we were both glad to have someone to talk to about this crazy book."
See also
*
2005 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2005.
Events
*January 16 – This is the 400th anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes' publication of the first part of '' Don Quixote'' in Spain.
*February 25 – C ...
*
Hungarian literature
Hungarian literature is the body of written works primarily produced in Hungarian,
References
External links
''Parallel Stories''at the publisher's website
2005 novels
Hungarian novels
Novels by Péter Nádas
Novels set in Hungary
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