Count Miklós Bánffy de Losoncz (1873 —1950), to give him his full name, was born to a long-established Transylvanian noble family and eventually held a number of political positions in Hungary, including that of Foreign Minister at tumultuous times in the history of the region. A veritable Renaissance man, he was an artist and stage designer, as well as the author of five plays, a novel, and several short stories. These certainly deserve a wider readership in the English-speaking world, and I am sure that this selection of stories which is being published by Pushkin Press in a translation by Len Rix (well known for his translations of Antal Szerb for the same publishing house) will go a long way towards addressing this.

I feel silly saying this, but when I started this collection whose title includes the word “Night”, written by a Transylvanian count to boot, I somehow expected this to be a collection about vampiric derring-do. Of course I was wrong, and the choice of stories reveals Bánffy’s versatility both as to choice of themes and settings. Which doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for fantasy and magic, sometimes tapping into the traditions and landscape of Transylvania. Such is the case, for instance, with the opening story Wolves, which draws an analogy between the cruelty of wolves and human greed, or Tale from a Mountain Village, a story about marital abuse with elements of folklore and superstition. One could also mention Little Borbalka and the Terrifying Safranics, about a girl who warns an outcast about a plan to murder him.

Bánffy’s choice of settings however goes well beyond the confines of the country he loved or the era he was living in. One story has as its protagonist Helen of Troy. Another – The Miraculous Tale of Gaspar Loki - speaks of a pleasure-seeking Hungarian knight at the time of the Venetian Republic. In The Emperor’s Secret, an official of the Chinese Emperor is held prisoner by the forces of Attila the Hun. There's even a futuristic sci-fi piece - The Contaminated Planet - which remains particularly relevant in our ecologically-minded times.

But most representative of Bánffy’s style is the title story. Mimi, a young and ingenuous aristocrat, arrives in an unnamed Mediterranean coastal town, accompanied by her grandmother. A stroll into the surrounding countryside is rudely interrupted by the flaring up of hostilities between rebels and rulers, and Mimi ends up being escorted by a down-and-out musician to a dubious establishment hidden in the hills. Under the light of the moon these seedy surroundings assume a mystical aura, infused with “the perfume of olive blossom, of lilac and jasmine”. Mimi falls in love and witnesses an esoteric female-only ritual, before the sun rises and reality reappears within its glare. The heady, dreamlike, Southern atmosphere of this story reminded me of the novel Journey by Moonlight, by another Hungarian, and near contemporary of Bánffy, Antal Szerb. This was a fitting conclusion to a haunting collection.

For full review, including an appendix on Banffy and the composer Bela Bartok:

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2021/06/The-Enchanted-Night-by-Miklos-Banffy-... ( )

Count Miklós Bánffy de Losoncz (1873 —1950), to give him his full name, was born to a long-established Transylvanian noble family and eventually held a number of political positions in Hungary, including that of Foreign Minister at tumultuous times in the history of the region. A veritable Renaissance man, he was an artist and stage designer, as well as the author of five plays, a novel, and several short stories. These certainly deserve a wider readership in the English-speaking world, and I am sure that this selection of stories which is being published by Pushkin Press in a translation by Len Rix (well known for his translations of Antal Szerb for the same publishing house) will go a long way towards addressing this.

I feel silly saying this, but when I started this collection whose title includes the word “Night”, written by a Transylvanian count to boot, I somehow expected this to be a collection about vampiric derring-do. Of course I was wrong, and the choice of stories reveals Bánffy’s versatility both as to choice of themes and settings. Which doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for fantasy and magic, sometimes tapping into the traditions and landscape of Transylvania. Such is the case, for instance, with the opening story Wolves, which draws an analogy between the cruelty of wolves and human greed, or Tale from a Mountain Village, a story about marital abuse with elements of folklore and superstition. One could also mention Little Borbalka and the Terrifying Safranics, about a girl who warns an outcast about a plan to murder him.

Bánffy’s choice of settings however goes well beyond the confines of the country he loved or the era he was living in. One story has as its protagonist Helen of Troy. Another – The Miraculous Tale of Gaspar Loki - speaks of a pleasure-seeking Hungarian knight at the time of the Venetian Republic. In The Emperor’s Secret, an official of the Chinese Emperor is held prisoner by the forces of Attila the Hun. There's even a futuristic sci-fi piece - The Contaminated Planet - which remains particularly relevant in our ecologically-minded times.

But most representative of Bánffy’s style is the title story. Mimi, a young and ingenuous aristocrat, arrives in an unnamed Mediterranean coastal town, accompanied by her grandmother. A stroll into the surrounding countryside is rudely interrupted by the flaring up of hostilities between rebels and rulers, and Mimi ends up being escorted by a down-and-out musician to a dubious establishment hidden in the hills. Under the light of the moon these seedy surroundings assume a mystical aura, infused with “the perfume of olive blossom, of lilac and jasmine”. Mimi falls in love and witnesses an esoteric female-only ritual, before the sun rises and reality reappears within its glare. The heady, dreamlike, Southern atmosphere of this story reminded me of the novel Journey by Moonlight, by another Hungarian, and near contemporary of Bánffy, Antal Szerb. This was a fitting conclusion to a haunting collection.

For full review, including an appendix on Banffy and the composer Bela Bartok:

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2021/06/The-Enchanted-Night-by-Miklos-Banffy-... ( )

‘’There was a horror in the wintry silence, a silence more profound than in any previous winter. It was as if life itself had been somehow diminished; as if there were fewer people now alive than in the past.’’

Miklós Bánffy’s life was adventurous and tragic. Persecuted by the Nazis and the Soviets, the two sides of the coin of Tyranny and Death, exiled, almost forgotten. But his offers in European Literature need to be acknowledged. Thank God for Pushkin Press and their tireless effort in restoring writers and their works, communicating them to the modern Reader. Bánffy’s stories are the result of a seamless marriage between the historical and the mystical in settings that range from haunting Transylvania to sultry Italy.

Wolves: A winter’s tale of wolves, snow, human greed and cruelty.

Little Borbalka and the Terrifying Safranics: A kind girl tries to protect a mysterious stranger from getting murdered. But will he reciprocate her honesty and kindness?

The Satan: A beautiful story of a knight called ‘’The Satan’’ due to his countless vices and sins and how he was changed by a princess’s love.

The Emperor’s Secret: An almost cinematic story of the Scourge of God.

The Contaminated Planet: A traveller in Scotland dreams a terrible dream of a world destroyed by greed and vile actions. A strangely prophetic and profound story.

Tale From A Mountain Village: A devilish old man is convinced his wife has cursed him to die. And it’s exactly what he deserves. A dark tale of Folklore, superstitions and marital violence.

‘’Tell me! Which of us did you want to win, Paris or me? Tell me, and tell me frankly: which of us? Paris or me?’’

Helen in Sparta: Ten years after Menelaus’ return from Troy, a feast is held and the king sings of his (imaginary) triumph. But Helen remembers…

The Dying Lion: A priest and a scientist give their last battle before one of them departs for the final journey, witnessed by the scientist’s strange, faithful mistress.

The Miraculous Tale of Gaspar Loki: The narrator traces the steps of a hedonist Hungarian knight in Venice, in the era of the Serene Republic, and his love for a golden-haired statue.

The Tiger: A tiger and a beautiful maiden.

The Stupid Li: An interesting tale about the Chinese Lord of the Underworld and a very stupid man during the time of Kublai Khan.

The Enchanted Night: A young woman experiences the wonders of an enchanted night in an Italian olive grove. A modern Midsummer Night’s Dream.

‘’The air was thick with the perfume of olive blossom, of lilac and jasmine, so intense and so powerful that it seemed to be falling around them like dew, and it was their scent, even more than the uncertain light of the moon, that filled the scene with an unearthly haze.
In silence and with arms intertwined, they advanced into this timeless world, their steps moving in rhythm to the half-heard sone coming from somewhere in the distance...and now from just the other side of the foliage the sound of young women’s voices joined in ritual chant.’’

Many thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on: https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )