The Village Notary

The Village Notary, originally published in 1845, presents a cross-section of Hungarian society in which the ruling elite were all too often lazy and self-seeking while the lesser lights, whatever their sterling qualities, were at their mercy and open to abuse. Eötvös's primary purpose was to expose the unsatisfactory nature of the traditional county administration. Hungary could hardly be considered a nation when so few of the people derived benefit or protection from the way that affairs were handled. The book holds a balance between racy tale and the author's frequently trenchant commentary on the Hungary of his time. In the English translation of 1850 it is significantly abridged in favor of the racy tale, thus diluting Eötvös's purpose not a little. The present translation is made from the unabridged Hungarian, and one must hope that while being better informed of Eötvös's aims the reader of this version will suffer no loss of entertainment.