Báró Krasznahorkai hazatér hosszú távol-keleti utazásából, hóna alatt egy vaskos kézirat a middleeasterneuropean csőcselékről. Kulcsregény? szatíra? netalántán disztópia? – kérdezi a művelt úri nép (a csőcselék nem kérdez semmit, mert a csőcselék mindig mindent tud ), de a szerző nem válaszol, csak mosolyog azzal a félszomorú félmosollyal bele a szakálla közepébe. De én megmondom, mi ez, meg én: andalgás a roncstelepen. Kokettálás a végítélettel. Ünnepélyes pusztulásunk.

És hát azért meg külön hálás vagyok, hogy Krasznahorkaihoz nem ért el az új ukáz, miszerint az „adófizetőknek” kell írni – ő továbbra is, hogy úgy mondjam, a magas égnek ír egyenest. Merthogy van olyan, és persze, legyen olyan, hogy az író törekszik ide le közibénk, de talán hosszabb távon mégis helyesebb, ha az olvasó törekszik fel a magas égbe, mondjuk azon a létrán, ami egy Krasznahorkai-regény alakját öltötte magára. Nem az író dolgozik meg az olvasóért, hanem az olvasó önmagáért. Így van tétje az egésznek. A többi – az lektűr. Nem pejoratíve mondom, mert lehet nagyon jó lektűr. Csak épp lektűr.

Amúgy meg az a legkevesebb, hogy zseniális. A pláne az, hogy élveztem. ( )

Don't know if it makes any sense to call this work a post-modern classic but that characterization certainly could apply. Let's see, what adjectives to use to describe the novel? Wildly creative, yes; superbly written, yes; mind-expanding, yes; boring, no.

You never really sure where you're going in this novel but it doesn't matter. The journey is the adventure. Relax and enjoy! ( )

WTF did I just read? Despite the style, this novel is nice and normal. Funny, even. And then it isn't. It goes from small-town politics funny to creepy sci-fi-ish.

This writing isn't for everyone. Paragraphs are 2-5+ pages long, and each is one sentence. Generally, each paragraph is also from the point of view of a different character, with many repeats. It feel old even though it's modern. The mood felt like Titus Groan--Titus Groan with trains and phones and espresso and diesel and refugees and a wider modern world.

There is a lot going on. Everyone is connected through work or home or school or friends or relatives. The Professor is an expert on mosses who seems a little...unhinged...as he now spends much of his time alone thinking about how not to think and other philosophical topics. The Baron himself is returning to his hometown in Hungary after spending decades in Argentina (he is also fleeing from gambling debts and jail). The Mayor is very hopeful that the Baron will donate his wealth to the town. The police chief has his fingers in this too. They create a HUGE welcome celebration when he arrives, and the Baron is painfully embarrassed. Marika was his girlfriend when they were teens, and she is still there, single, and he has written to her. The mayor and police chief are jockeying for position, the biker gang is after the professor who purchased one of their hidden weapons, everyone is afraid of the biker gang but ignore them rather than do what they say. The town itself is a character. The trains are somewhat unreliable, there are limited gas supplies, the orphans (why are there so many?) are housed in the chateau, there are espresso bars, a travel agency with little business, it sounds quite dreary and downtrodded. It's all an interesting and farcical take on small town politics. And then it veers into creepiness.

I am not sure what actually happened. ( )