Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2021
96 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
A classic escape nightmare, Chasing Homer is sped on not only by Krasznahorkai's signature velocity, but also by a unique musical score and intense illustrations.
In this thrilling chase narrative, a hunted being escapes certain death at breakneck speed―careening through Europe, heading blindly South. Faster and faster, escaping the assassins, our protagonist flies forward, blending into crowds, adjusting to terrains, hopping on and off ferries, always desperately trying to stay a step ahead of certain death: the past did not exist, only what was current existed―a prisoner of the instant, rushing into this instant, an instant that had no continuation …
Krasznahorkai―celebrated for the exhilarating energy of his prose―outdoes himself in Chasing Homer. And this unique collaboration boasts beautiful full-color paintings by Max Neumann and―reaching out of the book proper―the wildly percussive music of Szilveszter Miklós scored for each chapter (to be accessed by the reader via QR codes).
"The always noteworthy Hungarian novelist Krasznahorkai delivers a postmodern study of alienation and exile...Particularly beguiling are the percussive sonic vignettes that accompany the book chapter by chapter, available online via QR codes at the head of each. Allusive and acerbic: a brilliant work that proves the adage that even paranoiacs have enemies." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"[S]trange and engrossing...Batki's translation exquisitely captures the grace underlying the hero's frenetic mindset...Whether on a large canvas or small, Krasznahorkai never ceases to impress." - Publishers Weekly
"Krasznahorkai constantly pushes beyond the expected, escalating everything to the brink of deliriousness." - The New York Times
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
The winner of the 2019 National Book Award for Translated Literature and the 2015 Man Booker International Prize for lifetime achievement, László Krasznahorkai was born in Gyula, Hungary.
John Batki is a kilimologist*, writer, translator, and visual artist. He was born in Hungary and has lived in the United States since age fourteen.
Max Neumann is a leading German painter who turns the human figure into an abstract symbol, reducing his compositions to their pure essence. He has had more than 150 solo exhibitions around the world and lives in Berlin.
Szilveszter Miklós, a Hungarian jazz drummer and improviser, graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy and is one of the pioneering figures in Budapest's free music scene.
*An expert in kilim weaving.
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