NYT: Lázár Reviewed

The New York Times reviewed Nelio Biedermann’s novel *Lázár* on April 12, putting fresh attention on a book that reaches the United States on April 14. (nytimes.com, simonandschuster.com) The novel follows the Lázár family across the collapse of a monarchy, two world wars, and a revolution, with the story centered on a Hungarian aristocratic clan and a child named Lajos von Lázár. Simon & Schuster says the English-language edition is translated by Jamie Bulloch. (nytimes.com, simonandschuster.com) Biedermann is 22 and still a student, according to a separate New York Times interview published the same day. The publisher says he was born in 2003 and studies German literature and film at the University of Zurich. (nytimes.com, simonandschuster.com) The review lands as *Lázár* moves from a European success into the American spring books season. Simon & Schuster says the novel was originally published in German, became an instant bestseller, won the 2025 Favourite Book of Independent Booksellers award, and is being translated into more than 25 languages. (simonandschuster.com) That timing also helps explain why the review showed up in broader publishing roundups. Book Riot’s April 12 “Today in Books” roundup collected notable book news and links from the week, including items tied to spring releases and literary attention cycles. (bookriot.com) The publisher describes *Lázár* as a gothic, intergenerational family saga inspired by Biedermann’s own family story. Its setup begins at a rural estate at the turn of the 20th century, with family secrets, visions, and war shaping later decades. (simonandschuster.com) The English-language rollout includes a New York event on April 22 at New York University’s Deutsches Haus, where Biedermann is scheduled to appear in conversation with Daniel Kehlmann. That kind of event booking usually marks a publisher’s push to introduce an imported literary novel to American readers. (simonandschuster.com) So the review is not just a one-day notice for a single book page. It arrives at the moment *Lázár* shifts from acclaimed foreign novel to an American release with a major newspaper review, a national publisher, and a week-of-publication publicity campaign. (nytimes.com, simonandschuster.com, bookriot.com)