Publisher's Synopsis
Widely regarded as the greatest Romanian novel of the twentieth century, Mateiu Caragiale's <i>Rakes of the Old Court</i> (<i>Craii de Curtea-Veche</i>) follows four characters through the bars and brothels of Bucharest. Guided by an amoral opportunist, the shadowy narrator and his two affluent friends drink and gamble their way through a city built on the ruins of crumbled castles and bygone empires. The novel's shimmering, spectacular prose describes gripping vignettes of love, ambition, and decay.<br> <br> Originally published in 1929, <i>Rakes of the Old Court</i> is considered a jewel of Romanian modernism. Now canonical, Mateiu's work has been celebrated for its opulent literary style and enigmatic tone.
