Embers

Unusually Good

So effective is Márai's evocative prose that, by melding it with his surpassing genius for expressing the ineffable nature of friendship, the author gilds the pages of this flawless narrative with a splendorous and intimate luster

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A unique, wonderful book

Embers is a feast for the eyes and brain. Why can't more writers write like this? I was swept into the time and culture. I appreciated the writing, the plot; Embers is many cuts above a typical good book. For those who think reading is one of the great joys in life, I recommend this book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Hooked Until the End

Embers had me spellbound right up until the end, which disappointed me. If only Marai had given his ending some small, mind-blowing twist, this book would have been more worth reading.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Psychiatrist Review

This is the story of a long standing,intimate friendship interrupted by a pathological action and an attempt to deal with it 41 years later. Besides the literary values cited by others, the story evokes many psychiatric issues... While the author describes in details the aggressive acts agains one of the friends(Henrik) and his reactions, nothing is said about the following:the victim anguish and overwhelming feelings of sadness; the horror of his mental pain; the devastating feelings of loneliness due to the physical and emotional loss of the friend and his wife; the injury to his self esteem and the subsequent feelings that no one cares... There is a situation suggestive of a pathological re-enacting of the Oedipal Complex by the friend(Konrad) who disappears(I assume out of guilt/shame) for many years and returns at age 75 to a reunion where he says very little... The author end the story by making us think the common and erroneous belief that detective work and/or being able to have a verbal discharge or confrontation will make every thing well again. I adhere to the psychotherapy teachings that most cases of emotional trauma, a cure may be brought about, usually with the aid of medications, by a process in which the victim experince that his feelingswere underestood by his therapist and eventually identifies with him in coping with life traumas in spite of the emotional scars... Also of interest is to notice that the author knew that emotional damage persist to age 75, and by his suicidal death at age 89 confirms that emotional pain, without treatment, is a life long suffering.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Gently suspenseful beautifully written

Describes an era lacking in time pressure. The reader is drawn by his own curiosity to continue to follow the scattered bread crumbs of hints and foreshadowing that lead to the final dramatic meeting of the two living and one remembered protagonists. The reader is bombarded by emotional stimulii throughout. The emotional tensions between: wealth and poverty; extroversion and introversion; military science and the arts; love and hate; friendship and betrayal; and perhaps, as Dr. Telot has suggested above, a reawakening of the oedipal complex. It is natural to wonder if the book in some way foreshadows the author's tragic suicide. An unusual, masterfully written, compelling story that can be re-read and enjoyed.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Darkkit

A small, fuzzy kit rolled in. He was small with icy blue eyes. "Mama?" He asked Honeystar.

Leaders den

Honeystar' s den

Embersky clan territory

Apprentice den

I love this book

I picked up this book in a thrift store because i liked the cover, I'm so glad I did - .Ii found this book to be very profound, and interesting. I have read it twice, which is also very unusual for me.

World Literature's Breathtaking Novel

"Embers", by Sandor Marai, is one of the best kept secrets of the World's literature. I was lucky enough to have stumbled across it in a used book store. Other literature has palled in comparison since that fateful day.

Written by a master of the craft, Hungarian, Sandor Marai, this novel evokes all the passion and prose that one usually finds in the great masters, such as Turgenev, Dickens, and Tolstoy et al.

Longtime friends, turned enemies, are brought to a bar of judgment moment on a stormy Hungarian night in an old Hungarian estate. The penitent, prodigal friend has returned to the estate of his victim and one time friend. During the long night, truths are revealed, and surprises manifested. What results is an intimate introspection of the human soul, its strength and ultimate fragility. This is the finest short novel/novella ever written.

Poses some great questions

What else is there to say other than it's a great novel? A very much compacted masterpiece that addresses many questions that we still ask ourselves today. The narrative is not boring at all. I truly enjoyed reading what the General had to say about friendship, loyalty, comradery, love, passion, duty, betrayal, and essentially the qualities in men and their human relationships with others. It's even more amazing how the General answers his own questions (which shows you how much the author has pondered over these issues himself), and after 41 years he really has pretty much figured out the answers to his own questions. The fact that he asks 2 very unexpected questions at the end, even though he knows the answers, makes me feel sad thinking that the General spent 41 years feeling the way he did. Despite all those hateful feelings amongst all the characters, they learned to forgive themselves and each other. Simply... great! I highly recommend it.

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