
MOLNÁR FERENC
In the hush of a 1918 Budapest dawn, a lone boy slips across the Margit Bridge, his black coat fluttering against the still river. The city is still waking; the river mirrors a pale sky while distant train whistles echo over the water. He reaches the towering apartment of a once‑renowned lawyer, now empty, and moves through rooms saturated with the ghosts of his family. The narrative opens with his quiet, nocturnal rituals, hinting at a fragile balance between memory and the demands of an inherited world.
As the boy, Andor, navigates the vacant study—copper lamps, half‑filled decanters, and scattered sketches—he confronts the weight of his father's sudden death and his mother's lingering prophecy. The detailed description of the apartment's dust‑covered elegance creates a sense of melancholy and impending change. Through subtle sounds—a rooster's call from Táborhegy, a tram's distant clatter—Molnár sketches a portrait of a young man perched on the edge of adulthood, poised to uncover secrets hidden within his family's past.
Language
hu
Duration
~14 hours (848K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
Hungary: Athenaeum, 1918.
Credits
Albert László from page images generously made available by the Google Books Library Project
Release date
2023-01-21
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1878–1952
A master of sharp dialogue and human comedy, he became one of Hungary’s best-known playwrights while also writing the beloved novel The Paul Street Boys. His stories often mix wit, tenderness, and a clear-eyed view of pride, love, and ambition.
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