Portraits of a Marriage

A rediscovered masterwork from the famed Hungarian novelist Saaacute;ndor Marai, Portraits of a Marriage is in fact a startling exploration of a triangle ofentanglement.

A wealthy couple in bourgeois society, Peter and Ilonka appear to enjoy a fine union. Their home is tastefully decorated; their clothes are well tailored; they move in important circles.And yet, to hypersensitive Ilonka, her choice in deeacute;cor is never good enough, and her looks are never fair enough to fully win the love of her husband, who has carried with him a secret that has long tormented him: Peter is in love with Judit, a peasant and servant in his childhood home. For Judit, however, even Peter's affection cannot transcend that which she loves most-the prospect of her own freedom and afuture without the constraints of the society that has ensnared all three in a vortex of love and loss.

Set against the backdrop of Hungary between the wars, Portraits of a Marriageoffers further posthumous evidence of Maaacute;rai's] neglected brilliance (Chicago Tribune) and his exquisite, acutely observed evocations of sacrifice andlonging.

From the Hardcover edition.

An English-language translation of a definitive work by the acclaimed Hungarian novelist follows the experiences of a passionate triangle of lovers including wealthy bourgeois couple Peter and Ilona and their survival-minded servant, Judit.

A masterwork from the famed Hungarian novelist Sándor Márai, Portraits of a Marriage is in fact a portrait of a triangle—three passionate, single-minded lovers fighting over the marriage at the center, each of them bearing the capacity to love irrationally to an irreparable degree.

A wealthy couple in bourgeois society, Peter and Ilona appear to enjoy a fine union. But each of them loves someone or something different. For Ilona, it is Peter. For Peter, it is their child but also the servant, Judit. And for Judit, it is her very future. The result is a vortex of love, sacrifice, and self-preservation from which there is no escape.

Set against the backdrop of Hungary between the wars, Portraits of a Marriage offers further “posthumous evidence of [Márai’s] neglected brilliance” (Chicago Tribune).

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