They Were Found Wanting / They Were Divided
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"The celebrated Transylvanian Trilogy by Count Miklós Bánffy is a stunning historical epic set in the lost world of the Hungarian aristocracy just before World War I. Written in the 1930s and first discovered by the English-speaking world after the fall of communism in Hungary, Bánffy's novels were translated in the late 1990s to critical acclaim and now appear for the first time in hardcover. They Were Counted, the first novel in the trilogy, introduces us to a decadent, frivolous, and corrupt society unwittingly bent on its own destruction during the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Bánffy's lush depiction of an opulent lost paradise focuses on two upper-class cousins who couldn't be more different: Count Balint Abády, a liberal politician who compassionately defends his homeland's downtrodden Romanian peasants, and his dissipated cousin László, whose life is a whirl of parties, balls, hunting, and gambling. They Were Counted launches a story that brims with intrigues, love affairs, duels, murder, comedy, and tragedy, set against the rugged and ravishing scenery of Transylvania. Along with the other two novels in the trilogy - They Were Found Wanting and They Were Divided - it combines a Proustian nostalgia for the past, insight into a collapsing empire reminiscent of the work of Joseph Roth, and the drama and epic sweep of Tolstoy"--Page 2 of cover.
Series
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3 primary books#2-3 in The Writing on the Wall: The Transylvania Trilogy
The Writing on the Wall: The Transylvania Trilogy is a 3-book series with 3 released primary works first released in 1934 with contributions by Miklós Bánffy.
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Miklós Bánffy did not write a simple story here; he wrote something so genuine that pulled at my heartstrings. You see these characters constantly over the many hours it took to read these books and you hope for a good ending. Bánffy does not give anyone a good ending. Countess Roza dies from a stroke, Laszlo Gyeroffy dies bankrupt and ruined, Pal Uzdy dies from a mantic episode, Margit Miloth likely loses Adam in WWI and most sad of all, Adrienne does not marry Balint after all these years because he wants to take care of her dying child, essentially choosing Pal Uzdy over Balint. Balint having no joy left in his life decides to commit suicide by joining WWI instead of taking an office job. These last hundred pages really pack in death and misery and I cried quite heavily the moment I finished the book. Truly a brilliant piece of literature.
There are some criticisms I can point out however. The biggest gripe I have is that Balint does not particularly grow as a character; his moods are mostly based on how his relationship with Adrienne is; if it's good then he is happy, if it is bad then he is sad. The book does not really go beyond that. He is ultimately a character that views the world around him and changes very little. The book is also rather shy about talking about his downsides; the only instance of a criticism of Balint is that he is too generous regarding the Co-operative. There is also the instance where Balint is trying to justify to himself that he is still a Christian despite committing adultery with the argument that his love is pure and God will accept that; this shows a rather poor understanding of the faith. It is likely that Bánffy was not much of a Christian in that the only other religious character is Father Timbus, a corrupt Orthodox priest.
It has been a long journey and I am finally finished with my first foray into Hungarian literature. I genuinely enjoyed it and I might explore the genre further in the future. I have come out stronger from this book knowing that my life is so precious to not be bogged down in gambling, alcoholism, infatuation of women, adultery and pointless discussions. This book dealt with every one of these themes heavily and thus, I have come out all the better.