ABSTRACT
Karnevál (Carnival) is a novel written by the Hungarian philosopher, essayist and historian of religions Béla Hamvas.1 Written between 1948 and 1951 (Darabos 2002, III: 23), when its author was thrown out of his library job – courtesy of Georg Lukács – and lived literally like a hermit in the scenic town Szentendre in the Danube Bend, it remained in manuscript until 1985, when – still under Communist rule – it was published, with minimal censorial cuts. Though 1184 pages long in two volumes, the novel was sold out within days, becoming a treasure and hailed as the key novel of its time and place. Yet, until today, awareness about it outside Hungary is practically nil, and even inside it is more known about than read, let alone discussed.
