La Hongrie de Péter Esterházy et Peter Nadás

Péter Nádas and Péter Esterházy—both Hungarians and Europeans, and world-renowned writers of the highest stature—share more than just a language, a culture, a country, and a city (Budapest): they share the fact that they have made their own stories the central theme of their literary work. Their stories? Those of their own unique destinies, of course. But also that of their country—the history, with a capital H, of Hungary from the Second World War to the present day.

In his work, Péter Nádas explores the subterranean layers of Hungarian memory. He confronts the darkness of a world devastated by war and dictatorships.

From the late 1970s onwards, Péter Esterházy marked the renewal of Hungarian literature. Blending irony and gravity, his novels recreate the past of his family—one of the most illustrious of the Magyar aristocracy—a past that is by turns whimsical and oppressive. The destiny of this dynasty is inseparable from that of Hungary.

Shedding light on the past and understanding the present requires the voices of these writers, which intricately blend intimate experience, individual destiny, and collective history.