The Image of the Danube in Contemporary Novels Associated with Hungarian Culture

Abstract

The natural elements of inhabited areas often shape people’s lifestyles, psychology and
worldviews, influencing their moods, decisions and actions. Rivers in particular are often
associated with the historical development of human relationships and the emergence of
settlements and urban life. This paper explores the representations of the Danube in four
contemporary novels by Hungarian authors or set in Hungary: The White King (2008) by
György Dragomán, Train to Budapest (2008) by Dacia Maraini, Under Budapest (2013) by
Ailsa Kay and Los Amantes Bajo el Danubio (2016) by Federico Andahazi. The aim of this
analysis is to show how the river operates as a framework of “liquid modernity” (Bauman, 2000)
in each of these works, it has a representative power of its own and determines people’s destinies
and human relationships in heterogeneous cultural contexts. It functions both as a natural
backdrop for historical events and as a means of expressing and conveying emotions, creating a
transnational political identity that is both socio-cultural and deeply intimate.