The Melancholy of Resistance by László Krasznahorkai, George Szirtes

ISBN: 9781781256244

Tuskar Rock, 12 May 2016

Paperback, 321 pages

In a small Hungarian town, a mysterious circus arrives in the depths of winter, claiming to display the stuffed body of the largest whale in the world. This surreal event sparks strange rumours, setting off a chain reaction of anxiety among the townspeople. As fear spreads, the citizens cling to any form of order — music, cosmology, even fascism — in their search for meaning.

The novel’s cast is unforgettable: the ruthless Mrs. Eszter, intent on taking over the town; her weak, submissive husband; and Valuska, a dreamy idealist who floats above it all, the only truly noble soul in the story.

Translated by George Szirtes, The Melancholy of Resistance is a compact but intense work. Its prose — described by the author as “a slow lava flow of narrative” — unfolds like a black river of thought, and readers are carried forward in “lunar leaps and bounds” (as praised by The Guardian)