Budapest. Raday utca 9.

In In the Darkroom, which I wrote about in the last post, I noted that one of the places mentioned in the book was Raday utca 9, a secession-era house designed by noted architect Gyula Fodor.  I live about a 10 minute walk from there, and pass it almost everyday.  I thought readers, or potential readers, of the book might be interested in seeing more of the building. Susan Faludi describes the building this way.  (She gets into the building--like I often do--by slipping in after someone has opened the door).

"The front hall was refurbished.  The red-tiled wainscotting gleamed, and the freshly painted walls glowed a warm creamy yellow, white mouldings buffed to a high shine.  

"The interior Art Nouveau friezes had been restored; they ran in a long white panorama down either side of the hallway and across the ceiling."

"I gazed upon lithe nudes in playful motion: a girl in ecstatic mid-twirl with arms flung wide; two nubile dancers prancing together with wild abandon, their fingers interlaced; a muscular and naked Adonis reclining with a book. Had these been the daily muses of my father's boyhood?"

Susan Faludi's absolutely accurate and detailed description of entry hall of Raday utca 9 anchors her book in reality in a precise and meaningful way.

#RadayUtca9

#GyulaFodor

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#InTheDarkroom