Magda Szabó (1917–2007)
Author of The Door
About the Author
Disambiguation Notice:
The native Hungarian form of this personal name is Szabó Magda, so the Legal lastname, firstname name is Magda, Szabó. The Western (including English) Canonical lastname, firstname name is Szabó, Magda.
Image credit: goodreads
Works by Magda Szabó
A Balada De Iza 4 copies
Béla Király 1 copy
Căprioara 1 copy
Řekněte Žofince 1 copy
YAVRU CEYLAN 1 copy
Saaresinine : [jutustus] 1 copy
Paulan tähden 1 copy
Eleven képét a világnak 1 copy
Dyrnar 1 copy
Ballo in maschera 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Szabó, Magda
- Legal name
- Magda, Szabó
- Birthdate
- 1917-10-05
- Date of death
- 2007-11-19
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Hungary
- Country (for map)
- Hungary
- Birthplace
- Debrecen, Hungary
- Place of death
- Kerepes, Hungary
- Places of residence
- Debrecen, Hungary
- Education
- University of Debrecen, Hungary
- Occupations
- writer
teacher
novelist
poet
essayist
translator - Relationships
- Szobotka, Tibor (husband)
- Awards and honors
- Baumgarten-díj (1949, visszavonták)
József Attila-díj (1959, 1972)
Kossuth-díj (1978)
Pro Urbe Budapest díj (1983)
Debreceni Református Teológiai Akadémia díszdoktora (1993)
Déry Tibor-jutalom (1996) (show all 15)
Szép Ernő-jutalom (1998)
Nemes Nagy Ágnes-díj (2000)
A Miskolci Egyetem tiszteletbeli doktora (2001)
Corvin-lánc (2001)
Gundel Művészeti Díj (2003)
Prima Primissima díj (2003)
Femina-díj (2003)
Hazám-díj (2007)
A Magyar Köztársasági Érdemrend nagykeresztje (polgári tagozata) (2007) - Short biography
- Magda Szabó (October 5, 1917 – November 19, 2007) was a Hungarian writer, arguably Hungary's foremost woman novelist. She also wrote dramas, essays, studies, memories and poetry.
Born in Debrecen, Szabó graduated at the University of Debrecen as a teacher of Latin and of Hungarian. She started working as a teacher in a Calvinist all-girl school in Debrecen and Hódmezővásárhely. Between 1945 and 1949 she was working in the Ministry of Religion and Education. She married the writer and translator Tibor Szobotka in 1947.
She began her writing career as a poet, publishing her first book Bárány ("Lamb") in 1947, which was followed by Vissza az emberig ("Back to the Human") in 1949. In 1949 she was awarded the Baumgarten Prize, which was - for political reasons - withdrawn from her on the very day it was given. She was dismissed from the Ministry in the same year.
During the establishment of Stalinist rule from 1949 to 1956, the government did not allow her works to be published. Since her unemployed husband was also stigmatized by the communist regime, she was forced to teach in an elementary school within this period.
It was during the years of this involuntary silence that she felt the frames of poetry too tight to express her thoughts and turned to prose.[citation needed] Her first novel, Freskó ("Fresco"), written in these years was published in 1958 and achieved overwhelming success among readers. Her most widely read novel Abigél ("Abigail", 1970) is an adventure story about a schoolgirl boarding in eastern Hungary during the war.
She received several prizes in Hungary and her works have been published in 42 countries. In 2003 she was the winner of the French literary prize Prix Femina Étranger for the best foreign novel.
Her novel Abigél was popularised through a much-loved television series in 1978. Abigél was also chosen as the sixth most popular novel at the Hungarian version of Big Read. Her three other novels which were in the top 100 are Für Elise, An Old-fashioned Story and The Door.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szabó_M... - Disambiguation notice
- The native Hungarian form of this personal name is Szabó Magda, so the Legal lastname, firstname name is Magda, Szabó. The Western (including English) Canonical lastname, firstname name is Szabó, Magda.
Members
Reviews
Apologies for any incoherence. It’s hard to write about books I love, especially when I would love to say more than I want to say in a review.
School story fan friends, you need to read this, as long as you don’t mind a darker than usual school story.
I read this as a buddy read with Hilary. She had read it before but it was my first time reading it. I would have enjoyed this book anyway but reading it with someone made it much more fun to read. This is a book that calls for conversation so it is perfect for book clubs or buddy read discussions.
The translator’s introduction at the beginning of the book included mild spoilers but it probably helped me enjoy the book from the start and I don’t regret reading it first.
This isn’t a mystery book but there were two main mysteries in it and I found myself guessing as I read along. It’s primarily a coming of age story. It’s a school story, a historical fiction book, and for me was a page-turner and hard to put down. It got extremely suspenseful. Even though the reader knows Gina survives and also learns her father and some others she knew did not I felt tense on Gina’s behalf at many points in the story, all the way through.
I actually guessed the two “good” people but I had their roles reversed. I’m still proud of myself even though I assume many readers figure out what is going on.
I love how the people here are complicated. I love the heroes, especially the two main ones and the very unexpected one who steps up at the end. They are not larger than life heroes; they’re simply brave (and frightened) people trying to do what’s right, and doing an incredible job of it.
I appreciate that there was a fair amount of humorous content. It was needed. Without it this story would be dreary indeed and only suspenseful and sad, heartbreakingly sad at times. There were amusing things all the way through and many were subtly funny and they all made sense. Nothing about them or anything else felt forced.
This is a superb coming of age story and a top notch school story. It’s a must read book for anyone who enjoys school stories even though this is an atypical one. There is little frivolity and virtually no lightweight froth or bubbly fun to be had here. Many times it was painful to read. Reading about the bullying/ostracism was particularly difficult. It was intense. Ditto the draconian school rules and how they impacted the girls.
Despite or because of the frequent references to the future and “Gina looking back” on the current events this is a well written and well told story.
The book’s title is perfect.
Ultimately, this is a heartwarming story!
4-1/2 stars I vacillated between 4 and 5 stars but decided to round up because: this might be the best school story I’ve read and because the characters are so complex and they changed and when they changed it was in ways that made perfect sense. I cared deeply about many of the characters. I will be thinking of several of them for a long time. Also, it was one of the hardest books ever to take breaks and stop reading. If I hadn’t been reading it with a friend I think I would have read through it much more quickly and neglected doing other things until I finished it.
I’ve had this author’s Katalin Street on my to read list for a long time and now I am extra eager to read it.
Major spoilers. Do not read if you haven’t read the book and might someday read the book: Some notes I wrote from the last discussion only: I'm so glad that I was able to borrow the e-copy. The paperback is horrible. Almost unreadable. I also listened to part of the audiobook as I read and that was great for knowing the pronunciation of names.
I really loved the book. Thank you SO MUCH for suggesting it and reading it with me. Yes, I can understand why you would want to own it. Me too. Not the paperback copy I borrowed from the library though!
I was right about Konig and Mitzi being the "good guys" but I thought Konig was the person her father picked but it was Mitzi. I thought Mitzi was Abigail but she was the person Gina's father picked. AND Konig was behind the resistance signs. Not surprising. I knew he was sharp, and good and on the right side. I liked that he was also often kind.
I loved how there were other helpers along the way including for Gina on her way to Mitzi's house.
I got a kick out of how the girls were obsessed with the love lives of the adults/their teachers. I remember that very thing from when I was that age or maybe just a bit younger than they were.
Thank goodness Feri didn't see Gina in the hall or the office when he came to demand that he take her from the school. Thank goodness she got away. Mitzi was brilliant at the party. Her father provided for her though her school years there and with the instructions that will keep her safe(ish) - thank goodness the school abided by the promise they made to her father and provided some time for Gina to escape. What horrible choices he felt he had to make. He seemed to know it likely he would be captured and likely killed but he did what he did in spite of having a daughter who needed him and loved him and he loved her and tried to keep her safe. I hate war!
I love a female hero - especially a 48 year old - especially one who'd been a pupil at that school. Mitzi is a hoot!
It was wonderful that Susanna(!) of all people lied about Konig and about Gina to protect each of them. Yay! she had that in her.
Interesting how when her life (and her father's) were under true threat Gina could see the school as a peaceful refuge. It was still horrible but less horrible and insane that Nazi occupied Hungary.
Hilary said she wished there was a sequel and I would have read one. We know a lot about what eventually happens with Gina but know nothing really between when she escaped/went into hiding and when she was married with children. It would be interesting to know how on earth she managed. Maybe with helpers of which there seemed to be many, thank goodness. … (more)
School story fan friends, you need to read this, as long as you don’t mind a darker than usual school story.
I read this as a buddy read with Hilary. She had read it before but it was my first time reading it. I would have enjoyed this book anyway but reading it with someone made it much more fun to read. This is a book that calls for conversation so it is perfect for book clubs or buddy read discussions.
The translator’s introduction at the beginning of the book included mild spoilers but it probably helped me enjoy the book from the start and I don’t regret reading it first.
This isn’t a mystery book but there were two main mysteries in it and I found myself guessing as I read along. It’s primarily a coming of age story. It’s a school story, a historical fiction book, and for me was a page-turner and hard to put down. It got extremely suspenseful. Even though the reader knows Gina survives
I actually guessed the two “good” people but I had their roles reversed. I’m still proud of myself even though I assume many readers figure out what is going on.
I love how the people here are complicated. I love the heroes, especially the two main ones and the very unexpected one who steps up at the end. They are not larger than life heroes; they’re simply brave (and frightened) people trying to do what’s right, and doing an incredible job of it.
I appreciate that there was a fair amount of humorous content. It was needed. Without it this story would be dreary indeed and only suspenseful and sad, heartbreakingly sad at times. There were amusing things all the way through and many were subtly funny and they all made sense. Nothing about them or anything else felt forced.
This is a superb coming of age story and a top notch school story. It’s a must read book for anyone who enjoys school stories even though this is an atypical one. There is little frivolity and virtually no lightweight froth or bubbly fun to be had here. Many times it was painful to read. Reading about the bullying/ostracism was particularly difficult. It was intense. Ditto the draconian school rules and how they impacted the girls.
Despite or because of the frequent references to the future and “Gina looking back” on the current events this is a well written and well told story.
The book’s title is perfect.
Ultimately, this is a heartwarming story!
4-1/2 stars I vacillated between 4 and 5 stars but decided to round up because: this might be the best school story I’ve read and because the characters are so complex and they changed and when they changed it was in ways that made perfect sense. I cared deeply about many of the characters. I will be thinking of several of them for a long time. Also, it was one of the hardest books ever to take breaks and stop reading. If I hadn’t been reading it with a friend I think I would have read through it much more quickly and neglected doing other things until I finished it.
I’ve had this author’s Katalin Street on my to read list for a long time and now I am extra eager to read it.
Major spoilers. Do not read if you haven’t read the book and might someday read the book:
I really loved the book. Thank you SO MUCH for suggesting it and reading it with me. Yes, I can understand why you would want to own it. Me too. Not the paperback copy I borrowed from the library though!
I was right about Konig and Mitzi being the "good guys" but I thought Konig was the person her father picked but it was Mitzi. I thought Mitzi was Abigail but she was the person Gina's father picked. AND Konig was behind the resistance signs. Not surprising. I knew he was sharp, and good and on the right side. I liked that he was also often kind.
I loved how there were other helpers along the way including for Gina on her way to Mitzi's house.
I got a kick out of how the girls were obsessed with the love lives of the adults/their teachers. I remember that very thing from when I was that age or maybe just a bit younger than they were.
Thank goodness Feri didn't see Gina in the hall or the office when he came to demand that he take her from the school. Thank goodness she got away. Mitzi was brilliant at the party. Her father provided for her though her school years there and with the instructions that will keep her safe(ish) - thank goodness the school abided by the promise they made to her father and provided some time for Gina to escape. What horrible choices he felt he had to make. He seemed to know it likely he would be captured and likely killed but he did what he did in spite of having a daughter who needed him and loved him and he loved her and tried to keep her safe. I hate war!
I love a female hero - especially a 48 year old - especially one who'd been a pupil at that school. Mitzi is a hoot!
It was wonderful that Susanna(!) of all people lied about Konig and about Gina to protect each of them. Yay! she had that in her.
Interesting how when her life (and her father's) were under true threat Gina could see the school as a peaceful refuge. It was still horrible but less horrible and insane that Nazi occupied Hungary.
Hilary said she wished there was a sequel and I would have read one. We know a lot about what eventually happens with Gina but know nothing really between when she escaped/went into hiding and when she was married with children. It would be interesting to know how on earth she managed. Maybe with helpers of which there seemed to be many, thank goodness.
[b:The Door|22357838|The Door|Magda Szabó|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417413611l/22357838._SY75_.jpg|485644] by [a:Magda Szabó|5168929|Magda Szabó|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321090910p2/5168929.jpg] is about a hard-working cleaner who is hired to look after the writer-narrator's apartment and performs impeccably until she is struck ill, found by neighbors immobile in squalor and sent to hospital with no help from the narrator who has writing obligations elsewhere. "Emerence was pure and incorruptible, the better self that each and every one of us aspired to be. With her permanently veiled forehead and her face that was tranquil as a lake, she asked nothing from anyone and depended on no-one. She shouldered everyone's burden without ever speaking of her own, and when she did finally need my help, I...left her, in the squalor of advanced illness, for others to witness the single moment of degradation in her life." The author began her writing life as a poet and has written numerous novels, non-fiction and short stories and won various awards.… (more)
I finally finished [b:Abigail|43452825|Abigail|Magda Szabó|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1579715045l/43452825._SY75_.jpg|1845425] by [a:Magda Szabó|5168929|Magda Szabó|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321090910p2/5168929.jpg] translated into English by [a:Len Rix|3848796|Len Rix|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] in 2020 which I started in CA weeks ago.. This was a dense piece of writing, a coming-of-age novel, which is not my favorite genre but the emphasis on plot and the mysteries kept me moving along. The narrator is placed unhappily in a strict girls' school in a small town in Hungary during WWII by her beloved military father, a general, and each chapter is skillfully filled with suspense so that it is unthinkable to abandon the book. By the end, the final pages pick up the pace and suspicions are confirmed as the heroine encounters grown up revelations and political insights about allies and enemies and the statue named Abigail who allays the troubles of the girls. I recommend [a:Magda Szabó|5168929|Magda Szabó|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321090910p2/5168929.jpg]'s work to Elena Ferrante fans for its youthful themes and wartime era as well as its psychological underpinnings. I preferred her earlier work, [b:The Door|22357838|The Door|Magda Szabó|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1417413611l/22357838._SY75_.jpg|485644], but have no regrets about reading either and welcomed the chance to learn a bit about Hungary.… (more)
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- Works
- 80
- Also by
- 2
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- #7,163
- Rating
- 4.1
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Translated from Hungarian by Len Richard
Read by Samantha Desz
I actually attended an all-girls’ school. We were an academic and diverse bunch, with many of the girls being first-generation immigrants (we used the awful term “New Australians” back then). Most of the girls were Jewish or Chinese, the Jewish girls coming from Central Europe. Looking back I wonder was our kindness to each other due to the fact that our school friends’ families had all fled persecution. Many of the families were Holocaust survivors.
It was a strict secular school with many of the girls going on to political office, and careers in medicine, and the law.
There was no bullying. We were all too busy learning. Our school anthem was in Latin, “Potens Sui”, a motto diligently followed by most. The worst thing a girl ever did was to sneak a crappy romance novel into school assembly. I can remember the now well-respected Renata Singer defiantly walking up to the platform where the teacher, thinking to shame her, only succeeded in making her into our hero. A true rebel.
I digress, but my telling of this is important, as my experience of an all-girls school probably led to my inability to identify with any of the characters in Abigail.
The book is set in a Catholic school in provincial Hungary during the Second World War. Most of the story resolves around Gina, who has come to the school as a fifth grader. Her family is bourgeois, comfortable, and Gina is used to trips to museums, galleries, and attending baller and classical music productions. She’s no snob, but considers the other girls’ adolescent games infantile, and is loathe to join in. Unfortunately for Gina, she gives away the nature of one of the games to a teacher. Unknowingly she has committed the ultimate sin of betrayal.
Gina becomes an outcast and is bullied daily. Her life is pure misery. She pleads with her father to take her home to civilization in Budapest. But he can’t. He’s a top general and cannot betray his conscience or politics. He needs to keep her safe from possible enemies.
Gina understands and copes with daily humiliations. The other girls are plain nasty. It all seemed (to me) unbelievable that girls in a supervised setting, could be so relentlessly cruel. Not one offers her any kindness.
There is help available - here the story gets a Harry Potter vibe, in a stone statue in the school grounds. It’s a statue of a saintly-looking woman who the girls have for generations, called Abigail. It is believed that she will grant secret wishes if a girl can get them to her in writing.
The interest that keeps the reader reading, is in trying to work out how Gina manages to survive. Surely someone is secretly helping her. Is it the handsome Teuton, the bumbling physics teacher, the school porte? None of the candidates make sense, but someone in power manages to cover up her jams and divert attention from her to mitigate the bullying.
I didn’t enjoy the book. I had chosen it as I really liked Magda Szabó’s The Door. I couldn’t stand the bullying - it made me physically ill and took up much of the book. None of the characters were believable. I also had a problem in understanding the different administrative roles that had names such as “prefect” that meant something entirely different in the Australian school system.
I know bullying goes on. But I just didn’t get it in the book’s context, in a school which was in fact chosen by Gina’s father because of its strict adult supervision.
For those who enjoy school girl stories with a bit of a mystery, it’s probably an enjoyable read. But it wasn’t for me and I intend to try to forget it. No potens sui needed,… (more)