{"id":139357,"date":"2026-09-21T12:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T10:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/?p=139357"},"modified":"2026-09-17T12:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T10:21:13","slug":"afscheid-van-zsomle-is-een-levendig-geschreven-waarschuwing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/afscheid-van-zsomle-is-een-levendig-geschreven-waarschuwing\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Farewell to Zs\u00f6mle\u2019 is a vividly written warning"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fiction | <strong>Farewell to Zs\u00f6mle<\/strong> | L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai | Translated by Mari Alf\u00f6ldy | Wereldbibliotheek, \u20ac26.99 | 253 pages.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 252-page story told in just a few sentences \u2013 only the very greatest writers know how to turn that into a readable narrative. The new novel by L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, is not only remarkable in form but also highly topical in content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last year, the Hungarian author L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai (72) was awarded the highest literary honour for his \u2018compelling and visionary\u2019 body of work, in which he \u2018combines a dark view of life with exceptional linguistic vitality\u2019. The writer has also earned such praise with his latest novel <em>Farewell to Zs\u00f6mle<\/em> (2024) proves this to be truer than ever. This book, skilfully translated by Krasznahorkai\u2019s regular translator Mari Alf\u00f6ldy, holds up a mirror. And, despite its subtle humour, it is no funhouse mirror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Main character of <em>Farewell to Zs\u00f6mle<\/em> is 91-year-old J\u00f3szef Kada, who lives with his dog Zs\u00f6mle in an old cottage on a mountain in a remote village in northern Hungary. This \u2018sprightly old chap\u2019, as the villagers call him, is convinced that he is a distant descendant of the 13th-century Hungarian King Bela IV and a grandson of the grandson of the Mongol ruler Genghis Khan. In 1944, J\u00f3szef\u2019s right to the throne was reportedly confirmed by a secret coronation. As well as being a war hero, J\u00f3szef was also knighted in the International Order of St George.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">J\u00f3szef wonders whether the delivery of the knight\u2019s sword might have given away his true identity. For one evening, a small group of people come knocking at his door \u2013 members of organisations such as the World National Party for People\u2019s Rule, Lia for the Hungarian Monarchy, Blood and Honour or Arrows of the Hungarians, who have pinned their hopes on him: their \u2018Majesty\u2019 must pull Hungary out of the slump into which it has sunk. They see him, as King J\u00f3szef I, as the best candidate to lead the country towards the \u2018True Hungarian Future\u2019, which must be better than life under Viktor Orb\u00e1n. J\u00f3szef, who for the time being allows them to call him \u2018Uncle J\u00f3szi\u2019, is flattered. Gradually, however, the plan takes on a more radical form and it transpires that the monarchists are plotting a violent attack. The conspiracy does not end well; the monarchists are arrested and Uncle J\u00f3szi is confined to a psychiatric institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Farewell to Zs\u00f6mle<\/em> is a typical Kraszanahorkai: a novel about illusion and reality, written in sentences that can easily span more than twenty pages. \u2018The characters in my novels are desperate to say something,\u2019 the author said a few years ago in an interview with this newspaper, \u2018only commas are appropriate here, not full stops.\u2019 And that is exactly how he wrote this book: without full stops, except at the end of a chapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is mainly J\u00f3szi himself who speaks; his compelling, uninterrupted monologues are reminiscent of those of other contemporary world leaders who pass off their lies and fantasies as the truth. The story also brings to mind the foiled coup by the German far-right \u2018Reichsb\u00fcrger\u2019 movement, which, led by an elderly prince, sought to overthrow democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes the novel highly topical. <em>Farewell to Zs\u00f6mle<\/em> is a reflection on how nationalism and extremism keep rearing their heads, how easily people allow themselves to be misled by a nostalgic longing or other motives, and how willing some are to overthrow democracy. A warning wrapped up in a lively, witty and, at times, moving book.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fictie | Afscheid van Zs\u00f6mle | L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai | Vertaald door Mari Alf\u00f6ldy | Wereldbibliotheek, \u20ac 26,99 | 253 blz. Een verhaal van 252 pagina\u2019s, verteld in slechts enkele zinnen \u2013 alleen de heel grote schrijvers weten dat tot een leesbaar verhaal te maken. De nieuwe roman van L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai, die vorig jaar de Nobelprijs [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":330,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"activitypub_content_warning":"","activitypub_content_visibility":"","activitypub_max_image_attachments":3,"activitypub_interaction_policy_quote":"anyone","activitypub_status":"federated","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16518,4763,11687],"tags":[2471,15511,58],"class_list":["post-139357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured","category-literatuur-2","category-donatie-gevraagd","tag-hongarije","tag-nobelprijs","tag-recensie"],"featured_image_url":[],"post_author":"Vivian de Gier","assigned_categories":"featured, LITERAIR, WAARDEER &amp; DONEER!","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":72988,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2025\/10\/steeds-weer-een-nieuw-fiasco-waarom-de-internationaal-gelauwerde-schrijver-laszlo-krasznahorkai-al-zijn-werk-als-mislukt-ervaart\/","url_meta":{"origin":139357,"position":0},"title":"Always a new failure. Why internationally lauded writer L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai experiences all his work as a failure","author":"Vivian de Gier","date":"9 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Grote internationale erkenning ten spijt, vindt de Hongaarse schrijver L\u00e1szl\u00f3 Krasznahorkai zelf elke roman mislukt. 'Ik span mijn hersens in tot het uiterste in, maar het wordt nooit het boek dat het zou moeten zijn. Dus begin ik weer opnieuw. En opnieuw.' Hoop op verlossing die teloorgaat Verfilmingen van zijn\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KrasznahorkaiLaszlocFotoKoosHagera-ats-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KrasznahorkaiLaszlocFotoKoosHagera-ats-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KrasznahorkaiLaszlocFotoKoosHagera-ats-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KrasznahorkaiLaszlocFotoKoosHagera-ats-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/KrasznahorkaiLaszlocFotoKoosHagera-ats-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32417,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2016\/04\/man-booker-international-prize-nieuwe-stijl-bekendgemaakt\/","url_meta":{"origin":139357,"position":1},"title":"Shortlist Man Booker International Prize-new style announced","author":"Vivian de Gier","date":"14 April 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Jos\u00e9 Eduardo Agualusa, Elena Ferrante, Han Kang, Orhan Pamuk, Robert Seethaler and Yan Lianke have a chance to win the Man Booker International Prize 2016. The shortlist of six authors and titles was announced today. And, coincidence or not, we already interviewed one of the major contenders. Read that interview with Jos\u00e9 here","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ACTUEEL&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ACTUEEL","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/nieuws\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Agualusa-HR-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-CP-20.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Agualusa-HR-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-CP-20.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Agualusa-HR-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-CP-20.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Agualusa-HR-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-CP-20.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/Agualusa-HR-%C2%A9Marc-Brester-CP-20.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":100990,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/03\/antonio-lobo-antunes-1942-2026-ik-heb-geen-antwoorden-ik-heb-alleen-maar-vragen\/","url_meta":{"origin":139357,"position":2},"title":"Ant\u00f3nio Lobo Antunes (1942-2026): \u2018I don't have answers, I only have questions\u2019","author":"Vivian de Gier","date":"20 March 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"For decades, his work was among the top of world literature and considered the Portuguese candidate for the Nobel Prize. He remained active until long, but rarely gave interviews. Portuguese writer Ant\u00f3nio Lobo Antunes died on 5 March this year. We spoke to him in September 2024.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;LITERAIR&quot;","block_context":{"text":"LITERAIR","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/literatuur-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":139364,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/09\/monsterzicht-roept-interessante-vragen-op\/","url_meta":{"origin":139357,"position":3},"title":"\u2018Monsterzicht\u2019 raises some interesting questions","author":"Vivian de Gier","date":"30 September 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Jan van Aken, Monsterzicht | 320 p. | Querido, \u20ac 27,99 De nieuwe historische roman van Jan Van Aken speelt zich af in een nabij verleden: de jaren 1937-1939, toen niet alleen het nazisme in opkomst was, maar ook de psychoanalyse van Carl Gustav Jung. Van Aken weet die twee\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"featured","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":139370,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/10\/birneys-augustus-is-een-boeiende-stream-of-consciousness\/","url_meta":{"origin":139357,"position":4},"title":"Birney\u2019s *Augustus* is a captivating stream of consciousness","author":"Vivian de Gier","date":"11 October 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Fictie | Augustus | Alfred Birney | De Geus, \u20ac 25,49 | 272 blz. Augustus heet de geslaagde nieuwe roman van Alfred Birney, die draait om een leraar Nederlands die verdacht wordt van ontucht met een leerlinge. Tien jaar geleden is het alweer dat schrijver Alfred Birney, die deze maand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"featured","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":139366,"url":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/2026\/10\/een-uitdaging-in-vorm-en-verbeeldingskracht\/","url_meta":{"origin":139357,"position":5},"title":"A challenge in form and imagination","author":"Vivian de Gier","date":"4 October 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Dieuwertje Mertens, Kiefers hand | 350 p. | Querido, \u20ac 21,99 Met haar tweede boek Kiefers hand bewijst Dieuwertje Mertens opnieuw haar verteltalent en verbeeldingskracht. Als een boom wiens bladeren traag ontluiken ontvouwt ook deze roman langzaam maar zeker zijn schoonheid. \u2018Juist omdat ik weet hoeveel er verschijnt, vond ik\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"featured","link":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/genre\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3yKke-AfH","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/330"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139357"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139357\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139358,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139357\/revisions\/139358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cultureelpersbureau.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}