Life Is A Dream

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Description

'The story of his chronic stomach ailment was the story of his life. Yet all his livelong days he was obliged to bolt down the braised porkolt gravies, soupy goulashes and watery broths bathing the slabs of boiled beef served up by tavern kitchens everywhere.' Life is a Dream (1931) is Gyula Krudy's magical collection of ten short stories. Creating a world where editors shoot themselves after a hard day's brunching, men attend duels incognito and lovers fall out over salad dressing, Life is a Dream is a comic, nostalgic, romantic and erotic glimpse into the Hungary of the early twentieth century. Focussing on the poor and dispossessed, these tales of love, food, death and sex are ironic and wise about the human condition and the futility of life, and display fully Krudy's wit and mastery of the form.

Reviews

Krudy writes of imaginary people, of imaginary events, in dream-like settings; but the spiritual essence of his persons and of their places is stunningly real * The New Yorker *
Marvellously quirky -- CJ Schler * Independent on Sunday *
This [series] is a wonderful idea ... They are absurdist parables, by turns hilarious, unsettling and enigmatic. -- Nicholas Lezard * Guardian *
[The series] sheds remarkable light on the literature, culture and politics of the region...anyone coming fresh to the field will be captivated by the richness, variety, humour and pathos of a classic literature that, through a shared historical experience, transcends national and linguistic boundaries. -- CJ Schler * Independent on Sunday *
I urge you to go and read them. -- Adam Thirlwell * New Statesman *
This new series of Central European Classics is important well beyond simply providing 'good reads'. -- Stephen Vizinczey * Daily Telegraph *
The Hungarian Proust -- Charles Champlin * New York Times *

Author Bio

Gyula Krody (1878-1933) is a much-loved and admired Hungarian writer. He spent much of his life in Budapest and wrote many stories about the alcoholic and erotic possibilities of the city in its heyday, possibilities which he himself lived to the full. His most famous books in English are The Adventures of Sindbad and Life is a Dream.