Anna Edes: Novel

"Anna Edes" is a gem - its language is simple and precise, giving its facets sharp edges; it is not a "bright and sparkling" gem but one whose interior is dark and cloudy, since it deals with the murky minds of antagonists in a very concentrated form of class conflict, the struggle between masters and their servants. With the exception of one character (the old and sympathetic workhorse, Doctor Moviszter, who in a sense has created an inner life that puts him "beyond class") neither side in this battle comes off well, and yet neither side has its desires and reasons wholly disowned or tarnished by the author, who sees that it is man, regardless of which philosophy he chooses to be his vehicle, who is both tarnished and worthy of respect at the same time. It is a story that will remind American readers of the grim fate of working class women portrayed in Dreiser's "Sister Carrie" and "An American Tragedy", but its compass in time and space is smaller and tighter. The story commences on the day when Bela Kun's Soviet-style government ("The Republic of Councils") collapses; preceding the onset of the story is a one-page "urban legend" concerning Kun, which gives the reader an emblematic taste of the hysterical flavor of those days. On the following day a marauding Romanian army occupies and garrisons Budapest, to the astonishment of all parties involved, including the Romanians. These events form the ominous background of the story of one couple, Kornel and Angela Vizy, and their servants. The old one, Katica, is dismissed, tainted by an indifference to her masters which flourished during the Kun regime, which the Vizys feel licensed her to misbehave. Vizy himself is no hero in this respect, hanging onto credentials certifying him as a "working member of the middle class" until the last minute. For Mrs. Vizy the desperate problems of post-World-War-I Hungary are reduced to very cozy dimensions - where and how shall she find an appropriate servant (i.e., humble, hard-working, and respectful)? The supporting characters of this household drama are the other tenants of the building owned by the Vizys: Druma, an opportunistic attorney with an eye on the future, the Movisters (the doctor's wife is a self-involved patron of the arts and flamboyant man-chaser), and the former communist and now eagerly nationalistic caretaker of the building, Fricsor, and his wife. Etel and Steffi, two other household servants in the building, and the Vizy's transient nephew Jancsi complete the cast. Anna Edes, a country girl from a small town on Lake Balaton, is the answer to the Vizy's prayers, a literal service machine who seems to have no flaws (and an opaque inner identity - although she has her own standards, she is incapable of articulating them) that might disturb their busy attempt to reconstruct a pre-war gentry style of life. In the course of half a year she organizes the apartment into a shining model of bourgeois propriety. Th

Other reviews here summarize the plot, so I'll go with personal reaction here. Kosztolanyi is one of my favorite authors from anywhere in the world. This novel doesn't get highest marks, though. My chief objection is that the climactic murder doesn't seem sufficiently motivated (I have the same problem with the regicide in Macbeth). Mrs. Vizy is picky and cruel and frankly just a bit weird, but there's never a sense that Anna is in a situation she can't escape from, and the lack of tension kills the climax. Mrs. Vizy isn't intentionally malicious, I don't think. It seems Anna's willingness to serve is as much the problem as the Vizy's demands. Her affair with Jancsi goes much the same way: she has ample opportunity to avoid it. But she seems to go along, simplemindedly. I ended up with less sympathy for her than I might have. I may be missing the point; if you understand this better than I do I'd like to hear from you. That aside, I'm sure this book will get you thinking about the intricacies of the master-servant relation, sort of like the recent movie Gosford Park did, actually. It also got me thinking about control issues in theology. There's no doubt if you can convince a couple of friends to read it you'll have plenty to talk about. The prose is great as always (Kosztolanyi should be called the Hungarian Hemmingway) and it's a neat peek into recent history, too. On a textual note, Anna isn't the same as Anya, but it's close enough to have connotations, and the author makes it explicit by having young Bandi mispronounce her name as Anya. Among Kosztolanyi novels I like Pacsirta (Skylark) better than this one; the short stories are absolutely the best, though.

Anna Edes "Sweet Anna" and not "Sweet Mother" as someone has translated is a shocking story of a young maid. She is shy, quiet and hard-working and nobody seems to realize that she has feelings just like everyone else in the house or probably more feelings than the family she is surrounded by. As she is continously hurt emotionally by several people and taken advantage of physically she commits a horrible deed. She can not deal with it all in any other way. It is a shocking story. Kosztolanyi provides us with a psychological case study in just a short story. He does a wonderful job at it.

The main character Anna Edes, or "Sweet Mother" (anya edes) is the perfect maid. she expresses restraint of all of her desires, eating, stealing, and sex, but what will come of this suppression? Something that will blow your mind! It is a must read! Kosztalany is brilliant!