ABSTRACT
Like so many of her generation, Szabó is interested in the decline of the old order and the effect of societal changes on women. In Freskó she presented the disintegration of a provincial clerical family Her criticism is unusually harsh as she shows the failure of traditional moral values and blames this, as well as the conservatism of the provincial intelligentsia, for the demise of the family Az óz (1959; The Fawn) is more psychologically oriented as it studies the rivalry of two women, Eszter and Angela. The former is jealous of the ease with which Angela seems to gain everything, but in the end, when Eszter might have satisfaction, she finds that only hatred can fill her heart. Later novels, such as Disznótor (1960; Pig Killing), Pilátus (1964; Pilate), A Danaida (1964; Danaide), and Katalin utca (1969; Katalin Street) also study loneliness through heroines who are generally passionate and suffering women. She uses the techniques of the modern novel, particularly the interior monologue; her sensitive and accurate understanding of psychological motivations, as well as her timely topics, make her a popular writer. As in her poetry, so in her prose style, a strong sense of form prevails.
