Siege of Bistrița

The most valuable pieces of Mikszáth's work, in addition to short stories and parliamentary scratches, are his novels. His critique is sharp, but always mixed with humor and forgiveness. His gaze was clear, even more forgiving. He knew the conditions of the time, but he also knew the human soul very well. He knew that man is falling, not only living, sometimes taking advantage of opportunities. And at what age are there no certain options? In this "mix." he shaped his masterpieces in an inimitable style (Brothers Tót, The Good Palócok, The Talking Gown, Umbrella of St. Peter, The Siege of Bistrița, The Gavallers, New Zrinyiász, Strange Marriage, The Case of the Nosty Boy with Mari Tóth, The Black City, etc.) Bistrița siege (1895) is one of Mikszáth's most read novels. Not by accident. At the heart of the work, which also carries grotesque elements, is a negative proof of the writer's timeliness, using a negative, deviant hero in today's parlance. The lord of the castle of Nedec, Count Pongrácz is a Hungarian Don Quixote. Living in the 19th century, he declares war on his own squadron. With his medieval gestures, in addition to ridicule, he also earns the reader's compassion and love. This is not the forgiving love for the "crazy" but the sympathy for the representative of the big dreams. Count Pongrácz's state of mind, measured by the standards of the 19th century, is a medical case. But still, it rises above its environment and age more than once: pure knightly ideals are anachronistic, but in many respects more valuable than the present. Count Pongrácz is one of the forerunners of the eccentrics of our century.