[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, is a work for which Krasznahorkai co-wrote the screenplay with director Bela Tarr, based on his own novel. Although it was the most talked-about film at the festival that year, few people actually watched it to the end. The film's static black-and-white imagery, cryptic dialogue and symbolism, and, above all, its 7-hour-and-18-minute running time-one of the longest for any film ever screened in Korea-are what I remember most.

Although he gained recognition after winning the Man Booker International Prize in 2015, he remained a largely unknown author. Three years later, his work was translated into Korean for the first time, and since then, thanks to the persistence of one publishing house, most of his major works have been introduced. Due to the lack of Hungarian translators, "Satantango" (1985) was translated from German, while other works such as "The Melancholy of Resistance" (1989) were translated from English. To enter his literary world, one must overcome the language barrier twice, which is the greatest challenge in accessing foreign literature.

His debut and most representative work, "Satantango," is not only dark and gloomy but utterly despairing. Even just reading the first chapter, one can understand why he is called the "pinnacle of apocalyptic literature." In a desolate village filled with old and abandoned things, rain that hastens the arrival of winter falls. In the 1980s, residents of a Hungarian collective farm distrust one another and only think about leaving for other places. Just when it seems that hope has been eradicated, an unexpected rumor begins to circulate: Irimias, a figure thought to have disappeared, is returning. Since he once saved the village from poverty, hope is expected to blossom again. The novel begins to take on the aspect of a "messiah allegory." However, Irimias is a man who once collaborated with the Communist Party, deceiving and exploiting people while pretending to be a savior. He manipulates the villagers by exploiting the death of a poor girl. The golden age he promises is nothing but an illusion. The villagers fall into ruin and set out in search of mysterious church bells, but there is no church nearby.

The Swedish Academy stated, "Even in the fear of the end, he proved the power of art with prophetic insight and powerful language," explaining the reason for his award. Krasznahorkai's novels can be interpreted not so much as tragic apocalypses caused by resistance to or the collapse of the communist bloc, but rather as tragic allegories aimed at society as a whole, wherever power exists. While Franz Kafka, whom Krasznahorkai admired throughout his life, depicted the destruction of the individual, Krasznahorkai focuses on the downfall of the collective. This is why his 1985 novel is still considered relevant today.

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 deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. President Trump’s award was postponed, but the possibility is growing stronger than it was this year. Last month, President Trump posted an image on social media titled "Chipocalypse Now," showing himself in military uniform against a backdrop of helicopters flying over a city and a sea of flames. "Chipocalypse" is a portmanteau of Chicago and Apocalypse. By alluding to the Vietnam War film "Apocalypse Now," he openly suggested the possibility of deploying the military to Chicago. Such words and actions from President Trump provoke a visceral sense of repulsion even before any logical doubts arise. It seems as if President Trump himself does not even try to hide the fact that he is a hypocritical and dangerous figure.

The 125th Nobel Prize in Literature almost sounds like a response to President Trump’s "Chipocalypse Now." Is it an overinterpretation to see it as an apocalyptic warning to President Trump and his supporters, who want to "Make America Great Again"? To borrow Krasznahorkai’s words: "It is as if the entirety of (Trump’s) time appears to be a frivolous interlude within a much vaster space of eternity."