László Krasznahorkai
Encyclopedia
László Krasznahorkai (ˈlaːsloː krɒsnɒhorkɒ.i; born in Gyula
, Hungary on 5 January 1954) is a Hungarian writer. He completed his university studies in Hungary, and has supported himself as an independent author since then. When in 1985 his first major publication Sátántangó achieved amazing success, Krasznahorkai was immediately thrust into the forefront of Hungarian literary life.
He travelled outside of Communist Hungary for the first time in 1987, spending a year in West Berlin
as a recipient of a DAAD fellowship. Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, he has lived in a variety of locations. He returns often to both Germany and Hungary, but he has also spent and spends varying lengths of time in France, Spain, the USA, England, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, China and Japan.
In 1993, his novel The Melancholy of Resistance received the German “Bestenliste-Prize” for the best literary work of the year. From the United States to Japan, critics have acknowledged the importance of his writing. According to Susan Sontag
, he is “the contemporary Hungarian master of apocalypse who inspires comparison with Gogol and Melville”. W. G. Sebald
had this to say: “The universality of Krasznahorkai's vision rivals that of Gogol's Dead Souls and far surpasses all the lesser concerns of contemporary writing.” In 1996, he was a guest of the Wissenschaftskolleg
in Berlin. While completing the novel War and War, he travelled widely across Europe. The American poet Allen Ginsberg
was of great assistance in completing the work; Krasznahorkai resided for some time in Ginsberg’s New York apartment, and the poet’s friendly advice was invaluable in bringing the book to life.
In 1990, for the first time, he was able to spend a longer period in East Asia. Krasznahorkai renders an account of his experiences in Mongolia and China in his works The Prisoner of Urga and Ruin and Sorrow beneath the Heavens. From this point, he has returned many times to China. In 1996, 2000 and 2005 he spent six months in Kyoto
, Japan.
Since 1985, the renowned director and the author’s good friend Béla Tarr
has made films almost exclusively based on Krasznahorkai’s works, including the highly successful Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies
. His collaboration with Tarr continues to this day: Krasznahorkai writes the screenplays, and assists the director in all important decisions.
His works have been translated into English (New Directions Publishers
), into German (Rowohlt, Ammann, S. Fischer), French (Gallimard, Cambourakis), Spanish (Acantilado), Polish (W.A.B.), Czech (Host, Mlada Fronta), Bulgarian (Stigmati), Hebrew (Babel) and Japanese (Shoraisha, Keio), among other languages.
Krasznahorkai has been honoured with numerous literary prizes, among them the highest award of the Hungarian state, the Kossuth Prize
. In 2008, he was the S. Fischer guest professor at the Free University of Berlin
. He has three children, and since 2007 has lived in Berlin with his second wife, Dorka Krasznahorkai, who is a Sinologist and graphic designer.
Films:
Gyula
Gyula was, according to Muslim and Byzantine sources, the title of one of the leaders, the second in rank, of the Hungarian tribal federation in the 9th-10th centuries. In the earliest Hungarian sources, the title name is only recorded as a personal name...
, Hungary on 5 January 1954) is a Hungarian writer. He completed his university studies in Hungary, and has supported himself as an independent author since then. When in 1985 his first major publication Sátántangó achieved amazing success, Krasznahorkai was immediately thrust into the forefront of Hungarian literary life.
He travelled outside of Communist Hungary for the first time in 1987, spending a year in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
as a recipient of a DAAD fellowship. Since the collapse of the Soviet bloc, he has lived in a variety of locations. He returns often to both Germany and Hungary, but he has also spent and spends varying lengths of time in France, Spain, the USA, England, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, China and Japan.
In 1993, his novel The Melancholy of Resistance received the German “Bestenliste-Prize” for the best literary work of the year. From the United States to Japan, critics have acknowledged the importance of his writing. According to Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag
Susan Sontag was an American author, literary theorist, feminist and political activist whose works include On Photography and Against Interpretation.-Life:...
, he is “the contemporary Hungarian master of apocalypse who inspires comparison with Gogol and Melville”. W. G. Sebald
W. G. Sebald
W. G. Maximilian Sebald was a German writer and academic. At the time of his death at the age of 57, he was being cited by many literary critics as one of the greatest living authors and had been tipped as a possible future winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature...
had this to say: “The universality of Krasznahorkai's vision rivals that of Gogol's Dead Souls and far surpasses all the lesser concerns of contemporary writing.” In 1996, he was a guest of the Wissenschaftskolleg
Institute for Advanced Study, Berlin
The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin in an interdisciplinary institute created 1981 in Berlin-Grunewald for studies in natural, social sciences for various research projects. It is a member of the group Some Institutes for Advanced Study....
in Berlin. While completing the novel War and War, he travelled widely across Europe. The American poet Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
was of great assistance in completing the work; Krasznahorkai resided for some time in Ginsberg’s New York apartment, and the poet’s friendly advice was invaluable in bringing the book to life.
In 1990, for the first time, he was able to spend a longer period in East Asia. Krasznahorkai renders an account of his experiences in Mongolia and China in his works The Prisoner of Urga and Ruin and Sorrow beneath the Heavens. From this point, he has returned many times to China. In 1996, 2000 and 2005 he spent six months in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Japan.
Since 1985, the renowned director and the author’s good friend Béla Tarr
Béla Tarr
-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
has made films almost exclusively based on Krasznahorkai’s works, including the highly successful Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies
Werckmeister Harmonies
Werckmeister Harmonies is a 2000 Hungarian film directed by Béla Tarr, based on the novel The Melancholy of Resistance , by László Krasznahorkai...
. His collaboration with Tarr continues to this day: Krasznahorkai writes the screenplays, and assists the director in all important decisions.
His works have been translated into English (New Directions Publishers
New Directions Publishers
New Directions Publishing Corp. is an independent book publishing company that was founded in 1936 by James Laughlin. The company was incorporated in 1964 as the New Directions Publishing Corporation and operates from New York City, and its books today are distributed by WW Norton & Company. Its...
), into German (Rowohlt, Ammann, S. Fischer), French (Gallimard, Cambourakis), Spanish (Acantilado), Polish (W.A.B.), Czech (Host, Mlada Fronta), Bulgarian (Stigmati), Hebrew (Babel) and Japanese (Shoraisha, Keio), among other languages.
Krasznahorkai has been honoured with numerous literary prizes, among them the highest award of the Hungarian state, the Kossuth Prize
Kossuth Prize
The Kossuth Prize is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionary Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1948 by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and group achievements in the fields of...
. In 2008, he was the S. Fischer guest professor at the Free University of Berlin
Free University of Berlin
Freie Universität Berlin is one of the leading and most prestigious research universities in Germany and continental Europe. It distinguishes itself through its modern and international character. It is the largest of the four universities in Berlin. Research at the university is focused on the...
. He has three children, and since 2007 has lived in Berlin with his second wife, Dorka Krasznahorkai, who is a Sinologist and graphic designer.
Selected publications
Books:- SátántangóSatantangoSátántangó is a film directed by Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr. Shot in black-and-white, completed in 1994, it runs 7 hours and 12 minutes. It is based on the novel Sátántangó by Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, who has been providing Tarr with stories since his 1988 film Kárhozat...
, novel, 1985. - Relations of Grace, short stories, 1986.
- Melancholy of Resistance, novel, 1989.
- The Prisoner of Urga, novel, 1992.
- Theseus' Rules, three lectures, 1993.
- War and War, novel, 1999.
- From North a Hill, from South a Lake, from East a Road, from West a River, novel, 2003.
- Ruin and Sorrow beneath the Heavens, novel, 2004.
- Seoibo was Walking Down There, short stories, 2008.
- The Last of the Wolves, a short story, 2009.
Films:
- Damnation (Kárhozat, 1988), directed by Béla TarrBéla Tarr-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
. - SátántangóSatantangoSátántangó is a film directed by Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr. Shot in black-and-white, completed in 1994, it runs 7 hours and 12 minutes. It is based on the novel Sátántangó by Hungarian novelist László Krasznahorkai, who has been providing Tarr with stories since his 1988 film Kárhozat...
(English: Satan's Tango, 1994) ,directed by Béla TarrBéla Tarr-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
. - Werckmeister HarmoniesWerckmeister HarmoniesWerckmeister Harmonies is a 2000 Hungarian film directed by Béla Tarr, based on the novel The Melancholy of Resistance , by László Krasznahorkai...
(Werckmeister harmóniák, 1997-2000/2001),directed by Béla TarrBéla Tarr-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
. - The Man from LondonThe Man From LondonThe Man from London is a 2007 film by Hungarian director Béla Tarr. It is an adaptation by Tarr and his collaborator-friend László Krasznahorkai of the 1934 French language novel L'Homme de Londres by prolific Belgian writer Georges Simenon...
(A Londoni férfi, 2007), directed by Béla TarrBéla Tarr-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
. - The Turin HorseThe Turin HorseThe Turin Horse is a 2011 Hungarian drama film directed by Béla Tarr, starring János Derzsi, Erika Bók and Mihály Kormos. It was co-written by Tarr and his frequent collaborator László Krasznahorkai. It recalls the whipping of a horse in the Italian city Turin which is rumoured to have caused the...
(A torinói ló, 2011),directed by Béla TarrBéla Tarr-Life:Tarr was born in Pécs, but grew up in Budapest. Both of his parents were close to theatre and film: his father was a scenery designer, while his mother has been working as a prompter at a theater for more than 50 years now...
.
Sources
- Edit Zsadanyi, Laszlo Krasznahorkai, Kalligram, Bratislava,1999About The Melancholy of ResistanceAbout Sátántangó
External links
- Home page
- David Auerbach, "The Mythology of László Krasznahorkai," The Quarterly Conversation, June 7, 2010
- James Wood, "Madness and Civilization: The very strange fictions of László Krasznahorkai," The New Yorker, July 4, 2011, pp. 71–75.
- Andrew Ervin, "Hungary for More," Philadelphia City Paper, January 18–25, 2001.