There was a big family meeting on the second day of Christmas in my mothers flat in Budapest. I gave my present to my mother, sister, four brothers, an uncle, my husband, my two daughters and my son.
Some of the reactions:
> My mother, daughter of a theology professor, wife of my minister father, mother of six children, grandmother of sixteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren, whose great aim, perhaps whose only task in her old age is to lead her relatives back to the church, to a religious life, to God. She organises religious summer camps for her grandchildren, summons everybody to church on Sunday mornings and always presents us with Protestant hymn books and psalms. Her opinion: "I liked your English, the theme was interesting, I liked meeting my fathers—your grandfathers spirit in it. But if you confess you havent learned the Bible in your last 30 years, please read it now and live on the basis of it in your next thirty years."
> Younger brother, a former speed skating trainer, who is now a businessman, living in Vienna with his third wife and third and fourth children. He is the small Benjamin of the family, the youngest child—who likes other brothers and sisters, our mother, his former wives and children, but does everything for his own good rather than that of others. Having read my short story very quickly—(he had not much time, he was running after his next business!),—he began to laugh at me, "Gee, Ilus (my nickname in the family), you are a fool, arent you? Why did you leave the Bible there? I have got about fourteen or sixteen Bibles from different hotel rooms in the different countries that I visited when I took part in skating competitions, the Olympics, and the world championships. Not to read them but to possess them."
> Other brother, husband of a rich business-woman. She is full of ideas and plans and has got the money for her good deeds. She promotes a young Russian painter, an infant prodigy and helped to found an English theatre in Budapest. She has a chain of clothing shops. My brother asked me: "Dont you need a publisher? We have just founded a publishing house."
> My elder daughter, a student (her majors are: American Studies and Physical Education) happily showed everyone her copy with my dedication in it: "To my schoolmate with love—your mummy".
> A sixty-six year old uncle, a retired lawyer, very religious, who finished studying Protestant theology two years ago. "Now that you have met the Bible again wont you think of continuing this friendship at home in your life?" The same thought as my mothers. They are cousins and have a common great-grandfather, a bishop and psalm writer. An inherited way of thinking, perhaps?
Three or four weeks after mailing the forty or fifty bilingual "Norwegian Bibles" as my Christmas cards this year, my everyday post has grown. I got two or three letters weekly and a Bible every month.
> I begin with the last one. On the 11th March I got a postcard from a Japanese penfriend of mine, an otolaryngologist. He has written: "Thank you for your nice short story. I enjoyed The Norwegian Bible very much. I now understand you have inherited your multilingual ability from your ancestors, your grandparents. Please write another version of this story. Suppose you steal the Bible. I am sure Christ will be pleased. Anyway, I think you have a great talent for story telling. Please continue to write!" Nice words, arent they?
> A librarian colleague in the Hungarian National Library: "Its a new fresh librarian writer. Dont you want to join our new founded International Reading Association? Our first meeting will be on March 29th."