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The Door (NYRB Classics) by Magda Szabo
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The Door (NYRB Classics) (original 1987; edition 2015)

by Magda Szabo, Len Rix (Translator), Ali Smith (Introduction)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,801879,394 (4.11)156
"The Door is an unsettling exploration of the relationship between two very different women. Magda is a writer, educated, married to an academic, public-spirited, with an on-again-off-again relationship with Hungary's Communist authorities. Emerence is a peasant, illiterate, impassive, abrupt, seemingly ageless. She lives alone in a house that no one else may enter, not even her closest relatives. She is Magda's housekeeper and she has taken control over Magda's household, becoming indispensable to her. And Emerence, in her way, has come to depend on Magda. They share a kind of love--at least until Magda's long-sought success as a writer leads to a devastating revelation. Len Rix's prizewinning translation of The Door at last makes it possible for American readers to appreciate the masterwork of a major modern European writer"--… (more)
Member:akerr
Title:The Door (NYRB Classics)
Authors:Magda Szabo
Other authors:Len Rix (Translator), Ali Smith (Introduction)
Info:NYRB Classics (2015), Edition: Tra, Paperback, 288 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:****
Tags:fiction Hungary friendship

Work Information

The Door by Magda Szabó (1987)

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» See also 156 mentions

English (73)  French (4)  Italian (3)  Spanish (2)  Dutch (2)  Catalan (1)  Danish (1)  All languages (86)
Showing 1-5 of 73 (next | show all)
I read this book after falling in love with another Szabo novel, "Abigail". This book is a much more complicated, and much more grown up: I admired it and was engrossed with it, but I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as "Abigail". The subject matter is tough, with a central character -- the maid and caretaker Emerence -- who can give everything except the gift of accepting. Her relationship with her employer Magda is intense and at times puzzling, as is Magda's attitude towards her. Very interesting, very involving, but hard. ( )
  annbury | Feb 13, 2024 |
This was a very touching read which has lingered with me for quite a few days.
This book is a nostalgia and guilt-tinged story of the special and intense (platonic) bond between two very different women. It is also a story of confession and of a deep desire for redemption.

The story is narrated by Magda, a wealthy novelist who lives with her husband and has just moved into a new appartement. Set in between the 1960s and the 1980, Magda tells us episodes of her life centered around her relationship with Emerence, her housekeeper.
Emerence is a very interesting character, full of contradictions. She is a hardworking, tough and demanding woman, shaped by a traumatic life. She is both extremely rude and very caring. She is extremely guarded and secretive and yet at times, she randomly shares surprising facts about her life.
Initially the relationship is tense and there is a shaky sense of trust which affected by Emerence’s bad moods and Magda’s mistakes. As Emerence opens up and starts revealing glimpses of her painful past, they warm to one and other. Magda realises Emerence’s life has become an integral part of her own. Their relationship is like a tug of war, but they start feeling like they are something akin to family. Until an unexpected event sets in motion an “avalanche of events” which irrevocably change their lives.

This book touches on quite a few themes: Inter-generational conflict, class divide, trauma, small town mentality, religion. It presents the idea of found family in a unique way.
I liked that the sense time feels shaky, at times it is difficult to tell when events are happening, but this also helps create a dream-like atmosphere.
It is a brilliant and very emotional novel which I would strongly recommend to any fan of historical fiction.

What is the titular door? We all have one. Life might lock it for us. But some special relationships might just provide the key.
( )
  ellie.sara18 | Oct 6, 2023 |
I loved the eerie and foreboding tone of this novel, but felt that there were some pacing issues that I couldn't get past. ( )
  cbwalsh | Sep 13, 2023 |
Escritora húngara, descoberta tardiamente fora de seu país, é lançada pela primeira vez no Brasil com romance impactante sobre a relação tensa e misteriosa entre duas mulheres

Uma escritora culta, com uma relação nebulosa com as autoridades comunistas na Hungria moderna do pós-Segunda Guerra Mundial, contrata Emerenc ― camponesa, analfabeta, impassível, bruta e de idade indefinida ― como sua governanta. Emerenc mora sozinha em uma casa onde ninguém pode passar da porta de entrada, nem mesmo seus parentes mais próximos. Ela assume o controle do lar da patroa, tornando-se indispensável, experimentando um tipo de amor ― pelo menos até o tão desejado sucesso da escritora trazer à tona uma revelação devastadora.

A força sobre-humana de Emerenc, sua disposição para ajudar os outros e fragmentos de sua biografia dolorosa constroem o mosaico do que parece uma existência transpassada por segredos. Na relação de dependência desenvolvida entre as protagonistas se encerram dúvidas e mistérios sobre a personalidade daquela que personifica um país que já não existe mais.

A cada nova informação sobre a excêntrica governanta, emerge o cenário de uma Hungria ocupada e dividida, e até a relação de Emerenc com seus pertences é questionada. Teria roubado dos judeus ou ganhado os bens de uma família judia que ela havia ajudado a fugir? Quem é essa mulher e por que ela está fechada a qualquer intimidade com seus patrões? Todas as possibilidades são plausíveis até que as portas, metafóricas e literais, sejam, por fim, abertas.

Em um romance revelado tardiamente ao grande público, mas muito debatido e elogiado pela crítica, Magda Szabó oferece uma visão generosa sobre táticas de sobrevivência, sobre tudo o que pode ser dito no silêncio e sobre o papel da autenticidade na arte e na vida.
  Camargos_livros | Aug 30, 2023 |
The New York Times recently announced their top 10 books of the year and The Door by Hungarian author
Magda Szabo was named the number one choice in fiction. The main reason behind this has to be the character Emerence. I simply did not know what to make of her. And that is exactly what she wanted. Although she was loved and revered by everyone in the novel, she kept her private live locked behind closed doors, and no one, absolutely no one really knew her. A truly fascinating character. ( )
  kevinkevbo | Jul 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 73 (next | show all)
"Den fortjener å bli en bestselger."
 

"... en sjelden velskrevet, morsom og rørende bok ... "Døren" skal du lese fordi du fortjener det."
 
"... et av de mest underfundige portrett jeg noensinne har lest."
 
"Døren" er den type roman du ikke er ferdig med etter endt lesning ... noe av hemmeligheten ved at "Døren" griper så uimotståelig, er at den gjennomføres med konsekvens, uten sentimentalitet. Resten er det uhåndgripelige som kjennetegner all stor kunst."
 
"Døren" er en roman der leseren rives med fra første side. Den er et fascinerende portrett av to kvinner - historiens forteller, en forfatter, og den eldre uforglemmelige hushjelpen Emerenc, som har jobbet for henne i nærmere tjue år. Den ene lever nesten bare gjennom ordene, den andre kan knapt nok lese. Likevel knyttes de nærmere sammen enn noen av dem kunne ane. For Emerenc gir alt, enten det dreier seg om å redde en jøde, en tysker, en tyv eller en hjemløs katt. Hun tviler aldri et sekund. Men det er én ting hun ikke deler. Hun slipper aldri noen innenfor døren til sitt hjem.
 

» Add other authors (34 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Magda Szabóprimary authorall editionscalculated
Daróczi, AnikóTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Draughon, StefanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Komlósi, MártaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Paetzke, Hans-HenningTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Philippe, ChantalTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Rix, LenTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Smith, AliIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Thies, VeraTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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Ritkán álmodom.
I seldom dream
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“If there’s no-one to show pleasure when you come home, then it’s better not to live.”
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"The Door is an unsettling exploration of the relationship between two very different women. Magda is a writer, educated, married to an academic, public-spirited, with an on-again-off-again relationship with Hungary's Communist authorities. Emerence is a peasant, illiterate, impassive, abrupt, seemingly ageless. She lives alone in a house that no one else may enter, not even her closest relatives. She is Magda's housekeeper and she has taken control over Magda's household, becoming indispensable to her. And Emerence, in her way, has come to depend on Magda. They share a kind of love--at least until Magda's long-sought success as a writer leads to a devastating revelation. Len Rix's prizewinning translation of The Door at last makes it possible for American readers to appreciate the masterwork of a major modern European writer"--

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