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Niki: The Story Of A Dog (1956)

by Tibor Déry(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

159017318X (ISBN13: 9781590173183)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

NYRB Classics

review 1: Many great books exists about dogs and man, dogs and dogs and men as dogs. This one stands out, in terms of its dogish elements because you are treated to Dery's great prose and insight in revealing how this dog interacts in society. Dery is witty and his sentences are long, not Proust or Krasznahorkai long, but more like countrymates Krudy and Szerb in that their length isn't ornamental but more justified expositions that breathe well. I'd think that fans of the writing of Krudy, Kostolanyi and Szerb will find joy in this book.This isn't to say this is a joyous subject because like Krasznahorkai, what's at work behind the scenes is a horrible sadness and evil that backlights the scenes. Molnar in Lilliom uses a similiar radiating haunt in contrast with a consideration... more of what constitutes love and joy to great unsettling effect. Kostolanyi uses a similar tone in Skylark to sort of wave flowers in front of our nose - let us have a long sniff, tickle our noses and then invite us to watch them die. Cervantes's Dialog of the Dogs (to be read along side Sandor Marai's Embers - another monolog as dialog), Bulghakov's Heart of a Dog and Shulz's Nimrod - guess I need a new dog or at least a few bottles of Bull's Blood and some strong bacon. I'm in love with Hungarian writers lately - so many amazing talents: Frigyes and Ference Karinthy, Krasnahorkai, Szerb, Marai, Kostolanyi, Dery, Molnar, Krudy, Esterhazy, Kertesz, Zilahy...
review 2: A sweet and poignant story, with a cheeky and somewhat old-fashioned (even for the 50s) omniscient narrator, which adds to its charm. The Ancsas are a middle-aged couple in Communist Hungary that adopts a dog, or rather, she adopts them. Shortly after, Mr. Ancsa is imprisoned without a word of explanation. Déry explores political oppression and its effects through a non-anthropomorphic character study of a "little white terrier bitch" -- an Everydog -- named Niki. Really well-done, but have tissues on hand. less

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