
A vivid portrait of Budapest at the turn of the century unfolds through the eyes of a wandering observer who rides the city’s iconic red post carriage. The streets pulse with cafés, theaters, and market stalls, while lantern‑light casts long shadows over the cobblestones, hinting at hidden desires and restless hearts. The narrator’s lyrical musings capture the clash between genteel society and the gritty undercurrents that swirl beneath its polished façade.
Against this bustling backdrop, the carriage driver becomes a silent witness to a kale‑kale of characters—charismatic gentlemen, weary performers, opportunistic thieves, and women whose smiles mask private sorrows. As he ferries passengers through the capital’s winding avenues, he overhears whispered romances, fleeting betrayals, and the faint echo of dreams that teeter between hope and disillusion. The first act immerses listeners in a world where love and intrigue drift through the air like the steady churn of the carriage wheels, setting the stage for a story that explores the fragile line between yearning and reality.
Language
hu
Duration
~5 hours (311K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Albert László from page images generously made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library
Release date
2020-06-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1878–1933
Best known for the dreamlike, melancholy world of the Szindbád stories, this Hungarian writer blended memory, desire, and everyday life into prose that still feels modern. He was also a prolific journalist and novelist whose work helped shape 20th-century Hungarian literature.
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