Launching Sándor Márai's Embers

 

Carol Brown Janeway and Nigel Thorpe, British Ambassador to Budapest at the HCC.
14 January. This was a special evening for Hungarian literature: the UK launch of Embers (A gyertyák csonkig égnek) by Hungarian novelist Sándor Márai. Translated by Carol Brown Janeway and published by Viking/Penguin Books, Embers is Márai's first work to become available in English.

Subsequently, the novel made it to the top 40 of the Amazon.co.uk best seller list - a first for any Hungarian literary work in English translation.

The evening was hosted by Tibor Fischer, the author of Under the Frog and Toughtgang, himself born to Hungarian parents, who hailed this event as a major breakthrough in gaining Hungarian literature the international acknowledgement it deserves.

Special guests: Viktor Orbán and Győző Határ

The book launch was also attended by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Gábor Szentiványi, Hungarian Ambassador to London and Nigel Thorpe, British Ambassador to Budapest.


Edward Fox reading excerpts from the book
Viktor Orbán with Katalin Bogyay (right) and the staff of the HCC