The Transylvania Trilogy, or Erdélyi történet in Hungarian, is, at its essence, a romance novel: boy (Bálint Abády) grows up with girl (Adrienne Uzdy); girl enters loveless marriage; boy expresses deep love for girl; girl initially denies and then embraces their illicit love. Unlike many (most?) romance novels, happiness ever after is not the final outcome as Adrienne cannot risk losing access to her daughter in a divorce. Instead, she and Bálint must maintain their illicit affair whenever/wherever possible, imagining/dreaming/hoping of a married life together which remains out of reach. The novel concludes when Bálint is mobilized at the start of World War I.
The author, Miklós Bánffy, has written anything but a typical romo-fluff story: almost 1500 pages, Bánffy tells Bálint’s and Adrienne’s story in the wider context of Hungary and its nobility as the Austria-Hungary Empire meanders and stumbles towards its dissolution after World War I. What drew me in was Bánffy’s scene setting, the exquisites descriptions of Transylvania landscapes and castles of the Hungarian Nobility and Hungarian politics. Of course, I read the English translation, not the original Hungarian, but incredible nevertheless.
I read little fiction and even less romance, and yet despite my preference for non-fiction I’ve read Volume 1 twice due to the historical context presented. I learned plenty:
- Hungarian Nobility: I know of and have read about Austrian, Dutch, English, French, German, Russian and even Polish royal families and nobility, yet never even considered the possible existence of Hungarian nobility, likely because Hungary seemed the lesser of the two realms of the Austria-Hungary Empire. As is seemingly typical among nobility, the importance (stupidity) of wealth, social standing, social standing, dress, etc. are prominent throughout.
- Personal Union: Austria liberated Hungary from the Turks in 1686 and the reigning Hapsburg became King of Hungary. Though promised self-rule, Hungary was essentially subjugated to being ruled from Vienna. My incorrect understanding was that the Empire was a single country with multiple ethnicities, when in fact it was multiple countries under a single ruler. The Ausgleich of 1867 supposedly elevated Hungary to be an equal with Austria, though it appears that was somewhat an illusion.
- Politics: The discussions and debates about how to interpret and maintain the self-rule bestowed in 1867 are a secondary thread throughout the trilogy. Bálint is an independent member of the Hugarian Parliament attempting to weave his way through political posturing to (hopefully) achieve what is best for the Hungarians themselves. The politcal parties themselves reflect different viewpoints of Hungary’s relationship with Austria: the larger 1856’ers (centralized imperial rule) 1867’ers (maintain and extend the Ausgleich) parties plus smaller parties (religious, complete indepedence, etc). Though I have not researched how accurately Bánffy depicts Hungarian politics, it does give a pretty damning view of the animosity towards the Austrians and Franz Joseph.
- Other Nationalities: As it is Transylvania, Romanians figure prominently, primarily as peasants and servants to the nobility. Bálint is altruistic, treats everyone respectfully despite nationality – he even works on improving his Romanian – but an underlying current of distrust remains as Hungarians still believe themselves superior; ironic since the Hungarians dislike Austrian superiority. Other nationalities within the Empire are occasionally part of the story, emphasizing the unequal cultural diversity that ultimately led to the Empire’s demise.
- Geography: The incredible descriptions of the Transylvania geography – the towns, rivers, mountains, valleys – had me attempting to find the locations on Google Maps with some success. Again, Bánffy’s writing is wonderful, spending paragraphs describing a scene before getting to actual story-telling, making it an incredible read.
The trilogy was finished in 1940 but the post-war communist regime did not approve, causing the novel to remain out-of-print in Hungary until the 1980s; since, it’s viewed as a way for Hungarians to learn their own history. First published in English to aclaim in 1999 and slowly gaining wider recognition as a masterpiece, you’ll find it addicitive and difficult to put down. And for good reason, it’s an entralling book, well-written and worthy of the hours required to read it!
