This week I’m focussing on Pushkin Press as part of Kaggsy and Lizzy’s #ReadIndies event in order to read four books that have long been in the TBR. For this final post, my read is Love in a Bottle by Antal Szerb (1922-1943, transl. Len Rix 2013)
This was a really interesting collection, because the stories are presented chronologically and there’s a big gap whereby Szerb’s style changes considerably.
The first three stories are from 1922-23. Ajandok’s Betrothal, The White Magus, and The Tyrant all have a fable-like quality. Told in the third person, they are set in a timeless period and within realities that verge on mythical. While they were very well written, and diverting enough, I didn’t find them hugely interesting.
The rest of the stories are from 1932-1943 and these I found much more original and compelling. The first is Cynthia, a fragment which Pushkin Press omitted in a previous edition as Szerb probably didn’t intend it for publication. It begins:
“When they threw me out of Cambridge for my poor taste in neckties and generally immoral conduct, I enrolled at University College London, whose chief claim to fame (though they kept this private) was that its Dean was obliged, as a matter of principle, to see off any clergymen who dared set foot on the premises.”
I immediately felt hopeful that this change in tone and setting would be much more to my liking 😀
The tale itself is told from the point of view of an unpleasant but believable lothario who doesn’t seem to like women very much. This persona recurs through some of the other stories. In A Dog Called Madelon, a man laments that he has never been able to sleep with aristocratic women, despising the shop assistant he is with:
“He had been reflecting on the way his whole life had been frittered away on a procession of frightful little Jennys, when ever since boyhood he had yearned for a Lady Rothesay. History held the sort of erotic charge for him that others found in actresses’ dressing rooms – a truly great passion required three or four centuries historical background at the very least.”
In Musings in the Library, an “anti-Don Juan” who finds “women rarely please me” manages to completely fumble a fledgling love affair.
What stops these characters from being completely alienating to the reader is firstly, the wry humour that runs through the stories, and secondly the deep inadequacy of the protagonists. They are not meant to be heroic in any way, but rather deluded and sad. The stories all end in their failure, often with ironic circumstances.
In the titular tale, Szerb returns to mythology with Sir Lancelot and his love for Guinevere, but this is markedly different to the previous myth-like stories. Love in a Bottle has a more individual, authentic voice to the narration, and the humour of the contemporary-set tales is evident here too.
Szerb seems to view romantic love in these stories with some scepticism, but not disdain. It is the flawed characters which mean love is never fully realised, rather than problems with the idea itself. In fact, there is a feeling of hope towards love in the way Szerb consistently returns to the theme, but it is the humans involved who make it become ridiculous.
His tone is never bitter though, and he doesn’t judge his characters too harshly. To me Szerb seemed to be highlighting foibles while suggesting no-one was above them.
I also enjoyed Fin de Siècle where Szerb seemed to be having a lot of fun satirising writers. Thus Dr Johnson is noted for his “immortal banalities” and a group of writers who gather together include:
“Lionel Johnson, who would deliver his observations about the weather in the manner of a revelation: ‘There was a thick fog in Chelsea this morning.’ he would regularly announce, and glare balefully around the room, his hand clapped on some invisible sword.”
The humour, intelligence and readable style of the stories in Love in a Bottle has made me keen to explore Szerb more. Fortuitously I have Journey by Moonlight lined up for Kaggsy and Simon’s 1937 Club which is running 15-22 April – can’t wait!
“Looking back on the blissful days of my youth, as they begin to slip away from me, I can see now the best of them were those spent in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.”
I love these editions by Pushkin Press. They are so nice to hold in the hand.
LikeLiked by 2 people
They really are. And although they’re small, the page layouts are really comfortable too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This has been such an interesting week on your blog. Bravo Pushkin!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Absolutely – bravo Pushkin!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Once again another Pushkin gem. What a great week of reading you’ve had. I’ve just ordered another Szerb (The Pendragon Legend) on the strength of your Pushkin Press reviews. I couldn’t find any others in the library hence this title).
LikeLiked by 2 people
That’s great! I’ve not read The Pendragon Legend but I hope you enjoy it 😊
LikeLike
So glad you enjoyed Szerb! He really is delightfully addicted. I look forward to your thoughts on “Journey by Moonlight” — which I see you quoted in the title of this blog post!! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
*addictive. Sheesh, I get too excited with this writer sometimes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so encouraged by your passion for his writing! I’m really looking forward to Journey… now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another great choice, and thank you for focusing on these Pushkin editions – I love them. I’ve read some of Szerb’s work and really enjoy his writing, though I’ve not read this collection yet. I do have a copy somewhere but I’ll have to check if it has that fragment or not!! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for encouraging me to finally get to them by running this great event! I hope you enjoy this collection when you get to it Kaggsy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t read any Szerb at all, though I have seen other bloggers reviewing him enthusiastically. Those Pushkin Press editions are very smart looking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
This was my first experience of him and I’m looking forward to exploring him further for sure.
They are lovely editions, they’re a nice size to hold.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’ve had a great success with all four of these. I especially like the last quotation…of course!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes that stood out to me too 🙂
LikeLike
This sounds really great.
I loved Journey by Moonlight and The Pendragon Legend. I have Oliver VII on the shelf, I should get to it.
I love his sense of humour, he was such a talented writer.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I really enjoyed his sense of humour too. I’m looking forward to reading Journey by Moonlight, it’s great to hear that you loved it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: “Life was not an art-form, or rather, it was an extremely mixed genre.” (Antal Szerb) | madame bibi lophile recommends