Journey by Moonlight
Journey by Moonlight
Journey by Moonlight is a 1937 novel by Hungarian writer Antal Szerb. Its original Hungarian title is Utas és holdvilág, which means Traveler and Moonlight.
Plot in simple terms:
The story follows Mihály, a man from a well-off Budapest family, on his honeymoon in Italy. As he travels, he tries to understand his past and figure out who he really is. He struggles to balance his refined, dreamy nature with a rebellious streak, while also facing a troubling attraction to danger and death.
Themes:
The book blends psychological insight with existential questions. Some parts of Mihály’s experience are connected to Freudian ideas that were popular in Hungary at the time.
Reception and impact:
Journey by Moonlight is one of the best-known novels in modern Hungarian literature. Critics have praised it as a major work of European literature. English critic Nicholas Lezard called it “one of the greatest works of modern European literature” and said he immediately started it again after finishing.
Translations and publication:
The novel has been translated into many languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Slovene, and Croatian. It was originally published in Hungarian in 1937, with English editions appearing in 2001 and 2003.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:30 (CET).