Skylark

A portrait of provincial life in the Austro-Hungarian monarchy at the turn of the century. Set in the autumn of 1899, Skylark focuses on one extraordinary week in the otherwise uneventful lives of an elderly Hungarian couple. Their ugly spinster daughter, nicknamed Skylark, has left them for an unprecedented holiday with relatives in the country. At first the couple, whose entire existence revolves around their daughter, are devastated by her absence. Slowly, however, they rediscover the delights and diversions of small-town society life, finally reaching the shocking conclusion that their daughter is a burden to them. 'The most original, economical, and painful novel I have read in a long time.' - The Times Dezső Kosztolányi (1885-1936) first made his name as a poet, but turned his attention to the novel after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918. Much of his prose is concerned with the life and legacy of that unique Central European state. His first novel, Nero, the Bloody Poet (1922) won him the admiration of Thomas Mann. This and Kosztolányi's last finished novel, Anna Édes (1926), are also available in English translation.