? This year’s recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, boasts a body of work that probes contemporary realities in the most unflinching and painstaking ways. Published in 1985, his debut novel Satantango, later translated into English by George Szirtes in 2012, is a standout among his many dystopian works, portraying a bleak vision of ordinary life that feels distant yet eerily familiar to our present day. Krasznahorkai, long-celebrated by critics, has also left his mark on film — most notably through his screenwriting collaboration on the six-hour film adaptation of Satantango directed by Béla Tarr.

Satantango follows a barren estate in Hungary where lower-class families dwell on the edge of destitution, in a contained chaos. The story starts with an up-close look at Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt and their disabled neighbour Futaki, who, despite their seemingly long-standing and close relationship, fight over a sum of money — though it remains unclear for a while where that money came from. With a focus on Futaki, the first part of the novel reveals his inner thoughts and his desire to run away from the town with fleeting, distant hopes for a better life somewhere else. His character and his detailed observations carry a deep-seated existential dread that foreshadows the rest of the novel’s tone.

The story picks up when two men, who were reported dead almost two years earlier, are spotted alive in town. As we follow the men, Irimias and Petrina, the narrative takes on a Kafkaesque quality as they navigate an unclear exchange with government officials in a seemingly communist, militaristic system. Upon the arrival of the two men in town, we learn that Irimias is highly revered in the community, with most characters attributing the town’s downfall to his absence.

The rest of the narrative shifts from character to character and the questions only pile up as the course of events grows more disorienting, more unclear, and less chronological. The story builds heavily on religious motifs, with Irimias representing a sort of prophet and savior to the community, promising them new beginnings in another town. In reality, he takes advantage of the community’s weakness and eventually fails to fulfill his promises.

Despite its modern themes of dystopia and failed regimes, the novel feels more classic in its epic-like journey and multitude of characters, storylines, and themes. Krasznahorkai uses long-winded sentences that are overwhelmed with details but give the reader a visceral experience of this tragic world. Satantango is well worth the demanding, perhaps slow read, because its depiction of perfect nihilism stands in stark contrast to what we yearn for — optimism and meaning.

WHERE TO FIND IT- You can find the English translation of Satantango as an eBook on Kobo and Amazon, or listen to its audiobook on Audible.

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