
In a smoky Budapest salon, the enigmatic Monostory—self‑styled “knight of the Holy Spirit”—sits at a marble table piled with champagne bottles, his eyes flickering with a dangerous mix of charisma and madness. When he turns his sharp tongue on the nervous János, the room erupts into a chaotic chorus of insults, laughter, and uneasy silence, hinting at a tangled web of power, pride, and hidden desperation among the gathered guests.
The story plunges listeners into the claustrophobic atmosphere of a night where social masks slip and old grudges surface. Monostory’s flamboyant tirade, peppered with accusations of drunkenness and betrayal, sets the stage for a clash between the pretentious elite and the restless undercurrents of a society on the brink of change. As tension mounts, the audience is drawn into a vivid portrait of early‑20th‑century Hungarian life, where every toast may conceal a threat and every whispered remark could ignite a storm.
Language
hu
Duration
~3 hours (181K 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
2020-07-17
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1880–1948
A Hungarian novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, he moved with ease between the stage and the early film world, building an international career from Budapest to London and Hollywood. His work helped shape popular entertainment in the first half of the 20th century.
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