Hungarian Literature Classics You Should Read

Hungarian literature is one of Europe's best-kept secrets. Despite producing a Nobel Prize laureate, several internationally acclaimed novelists, and a poetic tradition that stretches back centuries, many English-speaking readers have never encountered a single Hungarian author. This guide introduces you to the essential works that define the country's literary identity and explains why they matter beyond Hungary's borders.

The Golden Age: 19th and Early 20th Century

Hungary's literary tradition gained international stature during the 19th century, when poets and novelists began shaping a national identity through language and storytelling. The Hungarian language itself, isolated within Europe and unrelated to its neighbors' tongues, gave rise to a uniquely expressive literary voice.

Sandor Petofi: The Revolutionary Poet

No survey of Hungarian literature can begin without Sandor Petofi (1823-1849). Though he died at just 26 years old, likely killed in battle during the 1848 revolution, Petofi left behind a body of work that fundamentally changed Hungarian poetry. His verses moved away from the formal, aristocratic style of the era and embraced everyday language and the concerns of ordinary people. His poem "National Song" became the anthem of the Hungarian revolution and remains widely memorized today. For English readers, translations by George Szirtes offer accessible entry points into Petofi's work.

Mor Jokai: The Master Storyteller

If Petofi was Hungary's national poet, Mor Jokai (1825-1904) was its great novelist. Jokai wrote over 200 novels spanning romance, adventure, and historical fiction. His storytelling ability drew comparisons to Charles Dickens and Alexandre Dumas. "The Man with the Golden Touch" and "Black Diamonds" are among his most translated works. Jokai had a gift for creating vivid characters and sweeping narratives set against the backdrop of Hungarian history, making his novels both entertaining and deeply informative about the country's past.

The Modernists: Between Two Wars

The early 20th century saw Hungarian literature undergo a dramatic transformation. The literary magazine Nyugat (meaning "West"), founded in 1908, became the focal point for a generation of writers who sought to modernize Hungarian letters by engaging with European artistic movements while maintaining a distinctly Hungarian sensibility.

Sandor Marai: The Rediscovered Master

Sandor Marai (1900-1989) is perhaps the Hungarian author most widely read in English today, though his international fame came posthumously. His novel "Embers" (originally published in 1942 as "A gyertyak csonkig egnek") is a masterpiece of psychological tension. Two elderly men meet after 41 years of silence to confront a betrayal that shattered their friendship. The novel unfolds almost entirely through dialogue and memory, building an atmosphere of unbearable suspense without a single act of violence. If you read only one Hungarian novel, many critics would recommend this one.

Marai's other essential works include "The Rebels," a coming-of-age story set in the final days of World War I, and "Portraits of a Marriage," which examines love and class through three different narrators. The Goodreads community consistently rates Marai among the top Central European writers of the 20th century.

Post-War and Contemporary Voices

Magda Szabo: The Quiet Revolutionary

Magda Szabo (1917-2007) was one of Hungary's most beloved authors, and her international reputation has grown enormously since the English translation of "The Door" was published by New York Review Books. The novel tells the story of a writer's complex relationship with her housekeeper, Emerence, an intensely private woman whose life contains dark secrets from Hungary's tumultuous 20th century. Szabo's prose is deceptively simple, but beneath the surface lies a profound meditation on trust, freedom, and the ways we fail the people closest to us.

"Abigail," another Szabo novel recently translated into English, offers a different experience entirely. Set in a girls' boarding school during World War II, it reads as both a mystery and a coming-of-age tale with a backdrop of mounting political danger.

Imre Kertesz: The Nobel Laureate

Imre Kertesz (1929-2016) won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2002 for writing that "upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric arbitrariness of history." His debut novel, "Fatelessness," is a semi-autobiographical account of a teenage boy's experience in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. What makes the novel extraordinary is its narrative perspective: the young protagonist observes the horror around him with a detached, almost matter-of-fact tone that is far more devastating than any dramatic telling could be.

Kertesz followed "Fatelessness" with "Fiasco" and "Kaddish for an Unborn Child," forming a loose trilogy that examines the long aftermath of the Holocaust on personal identity and the possibility of meaning in a post-Holocaust world. These are not easy reads, but they are essential ones.

Laszlo Krasznahorkai: The Living Legend

Often mentioned as a perennial Nobel Prize candidate, Laszlo Krasznahorkai (born 1954) writes dense, hypnotic novels built from extraordinarily long sentences that can run for pages. His most accessible work for newcomers is "Satantango," a darkly comic novel about the inhabitants of a crumbling collective farm who are deceived by a charismatic con man. It was adapted into a legendary seven-hour film by director Bela Tarr. "The Melancholy of Resistance" and "Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming" are equally rewarding for patient readers. The Nobel Prize in Literature committee has recognized the depth of Central European literary traditions that Krasznahorkai embodies.

Where to Start

If you are new to Hungarian literature, here is a practical reading order that moves from the most accessible to the more challenging:

1. "Embers" by Sandor Marai - Short, gripping, and beautifully written. The perfect introduction to Hungarian fiction.
2. "The Door" by Magda Szabo - Emotionally powerful and deceptively simple. A novel that stays with you long after you finish it.
3. "Fatelessness" by Imre Kertesz - A challenging but essential read. The distinctive narrative voice is unlike anything else in Holocaust literature.
4. "Satantango" by Laszlo Krasznahorkai - For adventurous readers who enjoy demanding, unconventional prose. A masterpiece of atmosphere and dark humor.
5. "Eclipse of the Crescent Moon" by Geza Gardonyi - A historical epic set during the 1552 Siege of Eger. Think "Game of Thrones" meets Hungarian history, accessible and action-packed.

Finding Hungarian Books in English

The availability of Hungarian literature in English translation has improved dramatically in recent years. Publishers like Pushkin Press, New York Review Books, and Archipelago Books have built strong catalogs of Hungarian titles. Online, you can find most of these through major book retailers or your local library's interlibrary loan system. In Budapest itself, several bookstores carry English translations of Hungarian literature. Check out our guide to Budapest's best bookstores for specific recommendations on where to shop.