Summary of Celestial Harmonies
In “Celestial Harmonies”, Péter Esterházy chronicles the history of his aristocratic family, from their glory days under the Habsburg Empire to their decline with the rise of Communism. The first part of the book is a collection of anecdotes and family legends spanning a thousand years of Esterházy history (for many centuries, the Counts of Esterházy were among the richest and highest-ranking noble families in Central Europe). The second part focuses on the experiences of Péter Esterházy’s father as a labourer in Communist Hungary during the 1950s to 1970s, including the events of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.
Reasons to read Celestial Harmonies
“Celestial Harmonies” is a rich tapestry of anecdotes from ten centuries of the Esterházy family history and the broader history of Hungary and Central Europe. It is also a poignant memoir of Peter Esterhazy’s own childhood, growing up in Communist Hungary, when his aristocratic name branded his family as “enemies of the people”. Péter Esterházy was a Hungarian post-modernist writer who received numerous literary awards, including the Hungarian Kossuth Prize (1996), the Austrian State Prize for European Literature (1999), and the Herder Prize (2002).
Setting: Hungary and Austria
Book set in Hungary: “Celestial Harmonies” is set in various locations tied to the history of the Esterházy family, mainly in present-day Hungary (such as the Esterhazy Palace in Fertöd and Budapest) and Austria (Vienna, etc.).
Original title: Harmonia Caelestis
Year of publication: 2000
Nr of pages: 880
