This is a new, English translation of Kálmán Mikszáth’s classic Hungarian novel of The Siege of Beszterce. The hero of the story is a 19th century Hungarian nobleman, Count István Pongrácz, who admires the lifestyle of medieval lords and chooses to lead his life in the same way. He transforms his tenants into soldiers to hold regular military exercises, he follows the lifestyle and daily routine of his ancestors as recorded in the family chronicles. His eccentricity earns him a reputation of being insane. He makes some effort to fit into society: he attends balls and dinners held by neighbouring noble families, and he himself holds dinner parties. Ladies however refuse to attend as he has no lady in the house. To counter this criticism he buys a female acrobat from a travelling circus, to fulfil the role of the lady of the house. She later runs away with a young man to the town of Beszterce, and as the town ridicules his demands to release the lady, he decides to lead his army to lay siege to the town. His journey passes through the town of Zsolna where some of his friends and relatives live. They fear that he would be committed to an asylum for this and put on a performance to replace the lady with another young girl as hostage, until they can find her. The young girl, Apolka, is an orphan, who has just been thrown out of her uncles’ houses. After her father’s death, one of her relatives took her in, and she was badly treated. Her two wealthy uncles’ were bitter rivals, and she became the subject of their rivalry, spending 6 months in each house at a time, each uncle outbidding the other to provide her with a life of luxury. It all stops when her cousin, the son of one of her uncle’s, falls in love with her and wants to marry her. She ends up back with her poor relative, and this time she is treated better than before. When he makes an attempt to force her to marry him, she runs away. The mayor tries to find a place for her, and this is the day when Count Pongrácz reaches the town on his way to Beszterce. Apolka is taken to the Count’s castle, and he lavishes her in luxuries, determined to hand her back as a ‘polished diamond’. He does not realise that he is slowly falling in love with her, mistaking his feelings for fatherly affections, not having experienced love before. When her cousin seeks her out and demands her release, events take a dramatic turn and the story has a tragic ending. By turns absurd and heartbreaking, this new translation of a Hungarian classic rivals Don Quixote.