Title: The Door
Author: Magda Szabó
First published January 1, 1987
262 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781843431930 (ISBN10: 1843431939)
Rating: 4.09
Overview
A struggling writer in need of help with her household chores hires a housekeeper recommended by a friend. At first, the housekeeper Emerence seems odd and difficult, with a foul mouth and a mysterious past.
She guards her private life fiercely, allowing no one to enter her home and keeping her face veiled. Yet as time passes, Emerence’s kindness and generosity become clear, and the writer finds herself drawn into a close and meaningful relationship with this enigmatic woman.
In this moving and beautifully written novel, Magda Szabó explores the bonds that can form between two very different people, and the healing power of friendship and love.
About the Author
Magda Szabó, a renowned Hungarian writer, is widely considered to be the country’s foremost female novelist. Her body of work includes dramas, essays, studies, memories, and poetry.
Born in Debrecen, Szabó earned degrees in Latin and Hungarian from the University of Debrecen and began teaching at a Calvinist all-girls school in Debrecen and Hódmezővásárhely. From 1945 to 1949, she worked at the Ministry of Religion and Education, and in 1947 she married writer and translator Tibor Szobotka.
Szabó began her writing career as a poet, publishing her first book, “Lamb,” in 1947, followed by “Back to the Human” in 1949. In 1949, she was awarded the Baumgarten Prize, which was later withdrawn due to political reasons.
That same year, she was dismissed from the Ministry.
During the Stalinist regime from 1949 to 1956, Szabó’s works were banned from publication, and she was forced to teach at an elementary school to support herself and her husband, who was also unemployed due to the communist regime. Her first novel, “Fresco,” written during this time, was published in 1958 and achieved great success.
Szabó’s most popular novel, “Abigail” (1970), is an adventure story about a schoolgirl boarding in eastern Hungary during the war. She has received numerous awards in Hungary, and her works have been published in 42 countries.
In 2003, she won the French literary prize Prix Femina Étranger for the best foreign novel.
Szabó’s novels have been adapted into a beloved television series and have been included in the Hungarian version of Big Read’s list of the 100 most popular novels. Her other novels in the top 100 are yet to be named.
Editoral Review
Magda Szabó’s ‘The Door’ is a poignant novel that delves deep into the complexities of human relationships while addressing key themes such as class, gender, and power dynamics. Published in 1987, the novel has since become a classic of modern Hungarian literature, drawing on the author’s personal experiences and observations of life under communism.
The novel tells the story of a young writer, Magda, and her unlikely friendship with Emerence, an elderly cleaning lady who is an enigmatic figure in the local community. Magda is fascinated by Emerence’s grit and survival instinct, but struggles to unravel her complicated past and understand her secretive nature.
The novel is set against the backdrop of Budapest in the 1960s, where tensions between the old and the new are palpable, and where the ideological and political debates of the time pervade everyday life. Szabó crafts her characters with great care, infusing them with vivid personalities and distinctive quirks.
Magda is a flawed but relatable narrator, whose perspective on Emerence’s life evolves over time, while Emerence remains largely an enigma, whose inner thoughts and feelings are kept under wraps. The dynamic between the two women is one of mutual dependence and admiration, but also of mistrust and miscommunication, fueled by the class divide that separates them.
What makes ‘The Door’ such a captivating read is Szabó’s masterful use of language and imagery, which transport the reader to a bygone era and evoke deep emotions. Whether describing the stark beauty of Budapest’s winter landscape or the horrors of World War II, Szabó’s writing is always elegant, poetic, and precise.
However, the novel is not without its flaws. Some readers may find the pace slow, and the ending ambiguous or unsatisfying.
Moreover, the novel’s focus on the experiences of upper-middle-class intellectuals may not resonate with all readers or feel relevant to current events. Overall, ‘The Door’ is a powerful and moving novel that deserves to be read and appreciated by lovers of literary fiction.
Its themes of empathy, friendship, and loss are universal, and its insights into the complexities of human nature are timeless. If you are looking for a novel that will challenge you and leave you thinking long after you turn the final page, ‘The Door’ is the perfect choice.
Washington Post gives ‘The Door’ 4.5 out of 5 stars.
