[AK View] The Apocalyptic Warning of the Nobel Prize in Literature

Appearing Like a Messiah,
Yet a False Savior of Manipulation, Deceit, and Threats
A 40-Year-Old Work That Questions the Present

I first became aware of the Hungarian writer Laszlo Krasznahorkai, who won this year's Nobel Prize in Literature, not through his novels but through film. "Satantango," which was screened at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2000, was a work for which Krasznahorkai wrote the screenplay based on his own novel, in collaboration with director Bela Tarr. It was the most talked-about film at the festival that year, but few people actually watched it to the end. The black-and-white images that seemed almost frozen, the cryptic dialogue and symbolism, and, above all, the running time of seven hours and eighteen minutes, make it the longest film ever shown in theaters in Korea.

Although he gained recognition after receiving the Man Booker International Prize in 2015, he remained a largely unknown author. Three years later, his works were first translated in Korea, and since then, thanks to one publisher’s persistence, most of his major works have been introduced. Unable to find a Hungarian translator, "Satantango" (1985) was translated from German, while "The Melancholy of Resistance" (1989) and his other works were translated from English. To enter his literary world, readers had to overcome the double barrier of language, one of the greatest challenges in accessing foreign literature.

His debut and most iconic work, "Satantango," is not just dark and gloomy, but utterly despairing. Even reading the first chapter, it becomes clear why he is called "the pinnacle of apocalyptic literature." In a desolate village filled with decaying and abandoned things, rain that hastens the coming of winter falls. In the 1980s, residents of Hungarian collective farms distrust one another and only think of leaving for elsewhere. In this village, where hope seems to have been eradicated, a strange rumor begins to spread: Irimias, a figure believed to have disappeared, is returning. Since he was the one who had once saved the village from poverty, hope is expected to bloom again. The novel takes on the qualities of a "Messiah allegory." However, Irimias had been a collaborator with the Communist Party, and he deceives and exploits people by pretending to be a savior. He incites the villagers by exploiting the death of a poor girl. The "golden age" he promises is nothing but a fiction. The residents fall into ruin and set out in search of mysterious church bells, but there is no church nearby.

The Swedish Academy stated, "Even amidst the fear of the end, he has proven the power of art through prophetic insight and intense language," in explaining their reason for awarding him. Krasznahorkai's novels can be interpreted not so much as resistance to communism or the tragic apocalypse brought about by its collapse, but rather as a tragic allegory aimed at society as a whole, wherever power exists. Whereas Franz Kafka, whom Krasznahorkai admired throughout his life, depicted the destruction of the individual, Krasznahorkai focuses on the downfall of the masses. That is why his 1985 novel is regarded as being not so different from the current situation.

The day after the Nobel Prize in Literature was announced, the Peace Prize was revealed. The recipient was Maria Corina Machado, a leader of Venezuela’s opposition, but U.S. President Donald Trump insisted until the day before the announcement that he should receive the Nobel Peace Prize. President Trump’s award was postponed, but the possibility of him winning is growing compared to this year. Last month, President Trump posted an image on social media titled "Chipocalypse Now," showing himself in military uniform with a city in flames and helicopters flying overhead. "Chipocalypse" is a portmanteau of Chicago and "Apocalypse." By referencing the Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now," he made it clear that he could deploy the military to Chicago. Such words and actions from President Trump provoke not just logical skepticism, but an immediate visceral aversion. President Trump himself does not seem to make much effort to hide the fact that he is hypocritical and dangerous.

The 125th Nobel Prize in Literature sounds almost like a response to President Trump’s "Chipocalypse Now." Is it too much of an over-interpretation to see it as an apocalyptic warning to President Trump and his supporters, who seek to "Make America Great Again"? To borrow the words of Krasznahorkai: "It all looks as if (Trump’s) entire time is but a frivolous interlude within a much greater space of eternity."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.