Bernard Adams Books

Crazy, funny and gorgeously dark, The Adventures of Kornel Esti sets into rollicking action a series of adventures about a man and his wicked doppleganger, who breathes every forbidden idea of his childhood into his ear, and then reappears decades later. Part Gogol, part Chekhov, and all brilliance, Kosztolanyi in his final book serves up his most magical, radical, and intoxicating work. Here is a novel which inquires: What if your id (loyally keeping your name) decides to strike out on its own, cuts a disreputable swath through the world, and then sends home to you all its unpaid bills and ruined maidens? And then: What if you and your alter ego decide to write a book together?

Set in the 1970s and ’80s, this novel explores the life of a Hungarian family in Romania during a time of oppression and poverty under Nicolae Ceaușescu’s brutal communist regime, referred to by the narrator as the “one-eared hangman.” Ceaușescu's presence permeates daily life, manifesting in portraits, empty food stores, and mandatory Party demonstrations, as well as haunting the dreams of the populace, who, in their suffering, turn cruel toward one another. The teenage narrator, known as “Girl,” navigates her tumultuous environment through long, intricate sentences, grappling with questions about her family’s disintegration, her mother’s multiple jobs, her father’s alcoholism, her grandmother's nostalgic dreams of a better past, and the pervasive persecution around them. Despite the harsh realities, Girl’s perspective is rich with love, tenderness, and irony, offering more than mere criticism. The narrative emphasizes the vital roles women play in maintaining the resilience of society. Infused with the wry humor characteristic of Hungarian literature, this work showcases a talented writer, inviting English-language readers to discover her brilliance.