The Door (NYRB Classics)

Add The Door to the short list of great novels that survive translation powerfully and musically intact. This story is superb on so many levels it is difficult to know where to begin one's praise. The structure of the tale, two very different women from very different backgrounds who come to care deeply for each other, has the potential to be sappy, and sentimental. In the deft hands of Hungarian author Magda Szabo it is fresh and original in the telling. There is a hard, unforgiving look at how friends not only disappoint but betray those they love most dearly.The relationship between Emerence and Magda, builds slowly over a 20 year period starting as housekeeper and employer and evolving into confidante and genuine love. Each women is a type, one representing intellect and the other an uneducated but innately decent and generous sort . As their bond deepens, conflicts arise--some mere schadenfreude--but other conflicts more telling. There is a power struggle over the affections of a wonderful rescued dog named Viola; demands reasonable and unrealistic from both women, and finally the burden of trust that comes from being the person with whom a friend shares secrets.The affection and exasperation both experience in each other builds toward a devastating denouement that is brilliantly handled. In a tip of the cap to the 19th-century philosopher Schopenhauer, Emerence is depicted as a true force of Will (and the world as a representaton of it) and it is fair to say both women beautifully represent the philosopher's keen observation of the hedgehog's dilemma (the authentic desire for true closeness is constantly frustrated by the ironic poking, stabbing, and discomfort that accompanies intimate contact between either species). Emerence shares the philosopher's habit of giving all her pets the same name. A nice touch that.In the end, though it is the metaphor of the Door--the barrier between ourselves and the world that is most compelling and chilling. The author makes it clear the obstacle we sometimes open to allow others in is sometimes better left barred and tightly shut.

This was the first Hungarian novel I read. The first 40 pages of lucid poetry in prose form took my breath away. It slowed in the middle with a fair amount of repetition and some irritation about annoying demeanor of Emerence.It is a story of tough love practiced by an illiterate housekeeper. She demands complete subservience from all around her. She is the God of Bible and expects “God fearing” behavior from everyone. She shuts off everyone with silent treatment when she is crossed and leaves you to figure out why you offended her. Just like an old fashioned Christian God. Also like God, she does not need anyone’s judgment.The story is full of reference to biblical vocabulary that a non-Christian like me rarely encounters in normal literature. I learned from those references but could not stop comparing the theological impact on the behavior of even a supposedly communist population. I grew up in a Hindu culture, where everyone in the universe is a reflection of the supreme power. One is expected to love, not fear, the supreme power and His creation. For the others around you, the Vedantic philosophy teaches you to practice – pratipaksha bhavana - “But for the grace of God there go I. ” For me Emerence’s behavior and Magda’s acquiescence was very puzzling.There was a mismatch of expectations of behavior between Emerence and everyone she encountered. We slowly learn of betrayal of everyone whom Emerence loved, from her infancy to her dying day. That created “the Door” to keep her secluded from offering love.She obviously loved Magda like her lost “daughter”. But Magda was not in the know of her maternal love for her, nor was she privy to what Emerence expected of her. Magda was loaded with responsibilities of taking care of her career, which was buffeted by the erratic State attitude, her sick husband and the normal demands of her growing fame and responsibilities of her work. Her expectations of her responsibilities to Emerence were that of an employer to a loving housekeeper. Even as a daughter she would have found Emerence’s expectation beyond her abilities to fulfill.As Magda reflects on the events, her guilt makes her feel like a failure. “I killed Emerence”, she pronounces. This too is reflection of strong religious indoctrination. No one knows the future. One must pursue the best course of action dictated by obligations to “self” not obligations enforced by social mores or expectations of others. "I know now, what I didn't then, that affection can't always be expressed in calm, orderly, articulate ways; and that one cannot prescribe the form it should take for anyone else."I found that the book demands that you foresee your actions as they may be seen by others. Often, our actions are prioritized by the demands of emergencies and exigencies rather than what is required of you after calm deliberations. The Door focuses us to think of opening that door that we hide behind.