Hungarian Author Magda Szabo's THE DOOR

Magda Szabo (b. Hungary 1917-2007) is a world renown novelist, poet & essayist whose works have been translated into more than 40 countries.  Her prolific work has earned her the French Prix Fremina Estranger Prize ('03) and the Baumgarten Prize (1949) for her political views. THE DOOR deserves a Pulitzer & Nobel Prize for her immensely gifted writing and piercing social commentary.  This is a fascinating story about the relationship between a female writer, Magda, and her elderly housekeeper Esmerence.  Once Esmerence deems Magda & her husband acceptable people to work for, she ingratiates herself & becomes indispensable in their lives.  Furthermore, Esmerence, ("her eminence") is a reliable, permanent fixture in the small town in which they reside.  Esmerence appears endowed with supreme physical attributes & sagaciousness.  She dispenses both rewards & punishment liberally as she determines appropriate.  Magda, discerns her feelings for Esmerence have become imbedded in love and dependency.  The details of Esmerence life as a young girl during the Russian Revolution & WWI are both fascinating & horrifying.  For the most part, the mysteries of her life are kept locked away until she chooses to dole out any information. Esmerence keeps her small home hermetically sealed behind a closed door that she very rarely permits anyone access.  This moving story of an enigmatic & irrepressible woman touches on theology, human dignity, 20th C history, compassion & cruelty.  While Esmerence has many admirable qualities, including strong convictions, she can be excessively harsh & vindictive.  "Love is a commitment of endless concessions and is irrational.  But life is not worth living without having love to give and receive."  This brilliant novel questions religious faith & seeks to make sense of our world.  THE DOOR is a must read that leaves you with many ideas to contemplate & discuss.