"Any sense we had of existence was merely a reminder of the incomprehensible futility of existence, a futility that would repeat itself ad infinitum..."
Futility, scorn, and misery
May 28, 2026
"Any sense we had of existence was merely a reminder of the incomprehensible futility of existence, a futility that would repeat itself ad infinitum..."
The first half of this double novella relates a failed academic's drunken retelling of his sponsored trip to Extremadura, Spain. Tasked with writing a piece to increase tourism within the region, he becomes intrigued with the history of wolves in the area. Having lost all confidence in his ability to create anything meaningful, the narrator follows the threads of the wolves' extinction in place of learning Extremadura's selling points. Typical Krasznahorkai bleakness, pontification on the futility of existence in a world based on scorn.
As a follow-up, two short stories follow. Both focus on a game warden that soon turns his attention towards humanity. Burdened with the guilt of senseless killing, he begins laying out traps for humans.
This work fits well inside that greater Krasznahorkai mission statement of futility. K tells us that life becomes meaningless when we castrate ourselves from the natural world. When all mystery is rationalized out of life, things become dull; when we define all that exists, existence ceases to matter.
J. Henry Waugh invented Out Of The Park Baseball 30 years early.
The prose is deep and rich – it's influence clear from the first story. Schultz' abillity to weld the mudane with the sacred, secret, and esoteric ...
Read from July 7th - July 18th, 2026 Kraus' genre blend of auto-fiction and true crime was a very captivating and intriguing read. I am very glad t...