Kornél Esti

Kornél Esti is a collection of interconnected short stories that follow the narrator and his rebellious alter ego, a doppelgänger who embodies his forbidden childhood impulses. The stories trace the alter ego's reckless adventures, from his early escapades to his later return, where he sends home a trail of unpaid bills and ruined reputations. The narrative voice is darkly comic and psychologically acute, blending the grotesque with the intimate to explore the split between social conformity and wild desire.

As Kosztolányi's final major work, the book serves as a radical and magical exploration of authorship and identity. It asks what happens when the id strikes out on its own, cutting a disreputable swath through the world. The prose is lyrical yet sharp, capturing the absurdity of a man trying to manage the consequences of his own shadow. It is a study in self-perception, where the boundary between the author and his creation dissolves into a chaotic, intoxicating performance.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.