Szerb is a master novelist whose powers transcend time and language
Nicholas Lezard Guardian May Szerb's entry into our literary pantheon be definitive
Alberto Manguel Financial Times Szerb was fluent in German and English and greatly interested in unusual religious beliefs. His knowledge of Rosicrucianism and the occult informs this often very funny book, which takes many affectionate ... Read morepotshots at the period's popular fiction. Szerb, who produced a history of English literature, knew his Shakespeare, Blake and Milton, but also the frothier writings of John Buchan, Edgar Wallace and P G Wodehouse
Paul Bailey Independent The novel shoots back and forth between London and Wales; and, quite astonishingly, there is not a false note in it... Szerb is a master novelist, a comedian whose powers transcend time and language (again, thanks to Rix for his tender approach to the source material), and a playful, sophisticated intellect... There is so much in this book that it is impossible to summarise, except to say that it is a romp, but one which romps within itself; it has fun with the conventions, and has fun with having fun with them, too. It is an absolute treat, deliciously ludic, to be read with a big smile on your face throughout
Nicholas Lezard Guardian Show Less