New York Review of Books The Door

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This story takes place in Budapest, Hungary, where a woman writer, unnamed, lives with her academic husband and a dog named Viola. Because her writing is taking up much of her time, she requires a housekeeper. A former classmate tells her about Emerence Szeredas, who works for her brother. She is hardworking and excels in everything she does. She makes herself indispensable to her employers. If she likes you, she will shower you with gifts. The writer then speaks with Emerence and tells her what her chores will be. However, it is Emerence, who will decide whether she wants to work for her. She is taking her time to answer. One day, she just shows up and tells them she will try it out. She will start the next day and in a month, it is she who will decide the salary depending on how much work there is and if she likes it there.Emerence is a tall, big-boned, muscular old woman in her 80s, who always wears a headscarf. She is a peasant, illiterate and controlling. She is surrounded by a shroud of mystery. She never talks about her past life. She lives alone in a flat with her cat and always keeps her door locked. She entertains her guests on the porch. Emerence is also the caretaker of her building in lieu of rent. She does all the repair jobs, the shoveling of snow off the street and the building walkway. She will give abandoned animals food and shelter and at the same time beat them, if they disobey her. One may think she's insane for her changing moods and her bizarre way of thinking. However, she is well-liked by the street people.Emerence once worked for the Grossman family, who were taken out of their home and put on a cattle truck taking them to the gas chamber. People say she looted their home and is keeping their possessions behind the locked door. You wonder whether she did or did not loot their home. She detests education, religion and anything to do with politics, yet she is intelligent enough to be a politician. Emerence is saving her money for a crypt to be built in the Taj Mahal, so that all her family can be together.This is the story of love and friendship between two very different women from high and low cultures. They have a long-lasting and life-changing relationship as you will come to find out. The Door could mean an actual door like Emerence's locked door in Emerence's flat or a psychological look at aspects of their own lives.Magda Szabo's writing is intelligent and complex. The Door is an outstanding novel. Because of the intense writing and storyline, you will remember it long after the last page. It is written on the back of the book that the unnamed character in the book is Magda.Magda Szabo won the Josef Attila Prize in 1959, after she went on to write The Door and many other novels, verse for children, plays, short stories and non-fiction. She died in 2007 in her home town with a book in her hand.Len Rix was awarded the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize for his translation of The Door.

An interesting if unpleasant story, seemingly allegorical and reflexive in nature, concerning the complex conflict between new & old and between the writer & her surroundings. Given that this new translation/edition is intended to bring Szabo to an English-speaking audience, it's puzzling that there isn't a fuller introduction. I would have liked to see more supporting material, including a note from the translator.

This is a magic book; it stays with you. I keep rethinking scenes in it and it's an excellent translation

Couldn’t get into it