If, after reading a few of his novels, you have become enthralled by Antal Szerb's ability to blend and play with various literary modes- fantasy, irony, adventure, humor, gothic melancholy- then you will likely enjoy tracing his writerly development in this story collection. It begins with Szerb's earliest work, written when he a student. These three stories are unembarrassed romantic tales of princesses and dukes, unearthly betrothals and terrible (and inevitable) betrayals. These earnest fairy-tales, in which one can easily imagined the impassioned and serious youth who wrote them, are followed by funny stories about bookish Hungarians living abroad and flirting with women, a theme more familiar to readers of his novels. The final story, The Duke, written in 1943 (shortly before Szerb was hauled off to a concentration camp), is historical fiction written in semi-academic style.I would not particularly recommend this collection to readers looking for an introduction to Antal Szerb.
