Mr. Motocs Hat

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The tragedy of the man called Mr Motoc is the tragedy of all those who have to live in a time and in a society characterised by internal and external constraints. Any social order allows us only as much freedom as we are prepared to eke out for ourselves. Those who are unable to free themselves from their ego which remains rooted in traditional ideas of morality and ethics are doomed to fail again and again and finally perish. They cannot expect help from anybody because the mass is fickle and lets down losers. But despite its infinitely sad plot, the story impresses with an appeal which reaches the heart and soul of the reader like the scream of a tortured human being. It urges us to take up the fight with fate, not to give up, not to deny this life – however it is – but to love it for the sake of the people who are entrusted to one and for whom one bears responsibility.

The Transylvanian journalist and translator, Judit Szász, succeeded in her rendition of this story to particularly map out the idea that the law of the universe called destiny can be over-ridden by willpower.