On the surface, the choice of the setting is unusual. Rural East Germany in 2020 - what does Krasznahorkai (a Hungarian writer) try to do here? But a second thought reveals a lot of similarities between rural, deindustrialized East Germany (a region not unlike the American Midwest when it comes to its current struggles) and the destitute settings of Krasznahorkai's previous works like Satantango and Melancholy of Resistance (shoutout here of course also to Tarr's film Werckmeister Harmonies).

Many typical Krasznahorkai themes resurface as well: We have ties to music (Bach, in this case, who conveniently lived in Eastern Germany), laymen fantasizing about modern physics, characters with dreamy and unrealistic goals, and mysterious and apocalyptic events that turn the world upside down.

Stylistically, too, we get what we expect, just more so: The entire novel is one long sentence - no paragraph breaks. Still, I would say it is probably easier to read than most of his other works.

A big positive to me is that the characters in the village feel very real, Krasznahorkai does not make them into "stupid village people" or "honest working class people". It is constantly clear that many people are living on social security, but still in some kind of comfort in the community and stability- the last vestiges of the European welfare state can be seen.

Overall, I would say, not one of Krasznahorkai's best. I still have to read Baron Wenckheim, which I was told was good. I feel the apocalyptic events in the end are somehow not pressing enough, it does not feel like the world is ending and only despair is left (the ending of The Turin Horse comes to mind). Instead, I feel that the apocalypse here is purely negative - just a void. This, to me, was not as satisfying.

It is maybe Krasznahorkai at his most political, German chancellor Angela Merkel is some kind of silent main character, and certain issues like the European far right movement as well as the Covid pandemic are part of the narrative, which surprised me.

thebigaids

thebigaids