Embers (novel)

The glow ( Hung, A gyertyák csonkig égnek, literally " candle to burn until the end " ) is a novel by Sandor Marai from 1942, which was reissued in 1990 in the original and 1998 in German translation.

Content

The novel is set in 1941 on a hunting lodge on the edge of the Carpathians. While he awaits a visit from his childhood friend Konrád, the old Hungarian general Henrik looks back on his life. Henrik and Konrád were in their youth, good friends, although Henrik comes from a rich family of the nobility, while Konrád is the son of an impoverished baron. On a hunt but put Konrád with the rifle on Henrik. However, he hesitated to shoot, missed the moment and then disappeared " in the Tropics". The next day, after Konrád's departure, Henrik visited his room, had never allowed into the Konrád him, and was surprised by the tasteful decor. Henrik's wife Krisztina looked also into the room; from their behavior closed Henrik that she was familiar with the room and that she had a love affair with Konrád.

After this incident, change Henrik and Krisztina no longer speak to each other. They relate far apart from each other building on Henrik's rambling possession. Eight years later she dies.

Henrik years of trying to explain this incident to understand the nature of his relationship with Krisztina and his friendship with Konrád, and figure out the motives for the suspected double betrayal.

Konrád's return seems to give the General the opportunity to clarify these issues. The very one-sided conversation lasts all night. In a long monologue Henrik rolls the events and his conclusions on it. With its short answers and objections Konrád expresses only his interest and encouraged Henrik to continue. It contradicts Henrik's interpretation of events at any point. An answer to two questions, working to the Henrik all night long, but remains off. Shortly before the dissolution destroyed Henrik itself decisive evidence, a diary of his wife. Konrád denied then the answer that he knows the only one. The second question was Henrik not even because it was already denied the answer to the first question.

At dawn Konrád, the Henrik has referred despite the recent events in the course of the conversation as his friend passed by Henrik. The two men split up with all signs of friendship respect from each other.

Publications

The novel was published in German for the first time in 1950 under the title The faithful candles burn down in a translation of Eugen Görcz. After the great success of a new translation of the French by Albin Michel in 1995, the Piper Verlag in Germany in 1999 carried out the work in a new translation Christina Viraghs out. In the title you leaned against Michels translation into French of which ( " The Gluten " dt ) published the book as Les Braises, and named the new translation with the embers. The new edition was a financial success for the Piper Verlag. It sold 200,000 copies within a year.

Films

The book has been filmed twice: in 1967 in the Federal Republic of Germany under the direction Korbinian Köberles 40 -minute TV movie called ash and embers and 2006 in Hungary as a direct-to- DVD film directed by István Iglódis.

Theater

On 16 October 2002 took place in a version of Knut Boeser the German -language premiere at the Schauspielhaus Dusseldorf under the direction of Ingo Brux with Ernst Alisch and Peter Harting ( stage: Gerhard Benz, Costume: Elizabeth Strauss) instead. Christopher Hampton adapted the novel in the English language for the stage. This version was premiered in 2006 in London. On 4 December 2009 the German -language version of this performance was at the Schauspielhaus Graz with Helmuth Lohner in the role of Henrik instead, which was performed in April 2010 in the Theater in der Josefstadt.