As one of the most prolific writers of Hungarian literature, Gyula Krudy provides us with a collection of articles that display his intimate knowledge of Hungarian society. Written during the 1910s, `20s and `30s, Krudy provides us with a wistful and nostalgic image of the waning years of the Austro-Hungarian empire, with portraits of the Habsburgs, culminating in first hand reports in 1916, from Vienna on the funeral of Emperor Francis Joseph I, and from Budapest on the coronation of Charles IV, the last king of Hungary. Krudy's reports follow the bloodless democratic revolution of 1918, the Karolyi government and the short lived Soviet Republic, and present cameos of the leading political figures of the day such as Ferenc Kossuth, Mihaly Karolyi and Bela Kun.

Gyula Krudy is a marvelous writer who haunted the taverns of Budapest and lived on its streets while turning out a series of mesmerizing, revelatory novels that are among the masterpieces of modern literature. Krudy conjures up a world that is entirely his own--dreamy, macabre, comic, and erotic--where urbane sophistication can erupt without warning into passion and madness.
In "Sunflower" young Eveline leaves the city and returns to her country estate to escape the memory of her desperate love for the unscrupulous charmer Kalman. There she encounters the melancholy Almos-Dreamer, who is languishing for love of her, and is visited by the bizarre and beautiful Miss Maszkeradi, a woman who is a force of nature. The plot twists and turns; elemental myth mingles with sheer farce: Krudy brilliantly illuminates the shifting contours and acid colors of the landscape of desire.
John Batki's outstanding translation of "Sunflower" is the perfect introduction to the world of Gyula Krudy, a genius as singular as Robert Walser, Bruno Schulz, or Joseph Roth.

Life is a Dream (1931) is Gyula Krudy's magical collection of ten short stories. Creating a world where editors shoot themselves after a hard day's brunching, men attend duels incognito and lovers fall out over salad dressing, Life is a Dream is a comic, nostalgic, romantic and erotic glimpse into the Hungary of the early twentieth century. Focussing on the poor and dispossessed, these tales of love, food, death and sex are ironic and wise about the human condition and the futility of life, and display fully Krudy's wit and mastery of the form.