In the latest episode of ZEIT's literature podcast 'What are you reading right now?', Iris Radisch and Adam Soboczynski discuss the new book by Literature Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai at the Frankfurter Buchmesse. The stories in 'In the Madness of Others' delve into the streams of consciousness of eccentric characters. The episode also covers Bettina Flitner's novel 'My Mother'.
The podcast episode takes place at the Frankfurter Buchmesse and focuses on Hungarian author László Krasznahorkai, who recently received the Nobel Prize for Literature. His new book 'In the Madness of Others' consists of three stories that lead readers into grotesque labyrinths. "The stories of the Hungarian author let us dive deep into the stream of consciousness of strange eccentrics, sometimes into the head of a wandering monster, sometimes into the head of a crazy New York librarian who would like to open a library where the books are left alone and never lent out: a forever closed library.", the hosts describe. Krasznahorkai is considered a master of such worlds, where one can joyfully lose oneself.
The book was translated by Heike Flemming and includes 34 color drawings by Max Neumann, published by S. Fischer Verlag.
The discussion also covers Bettina Flitner's novel 'My Mother', building on her successful book 'My Sister'. The Cologne-based photographer recalls her mother's life, who like her sister voluntarily ended her life. "Is there a curse in this family?", the podcast asks. The narrative leads back to Silesia, where the great-grandparents ran a sanatorium, and fits into current memory books about the life and expulsion of German families from the former eastern territories. The book was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch.
As a classic, Peter Handke's 'Wishless Unhappiness' from 1972 is featured, in which the 2019 Nobel laureate addresses his mother, who committed suicide in 1971. The quote of the month comes from Kamel Daoud's 'Huris', translated by Holger Fock and Sabine Müller at Matthes & Seitz.
Contact the team: buecher@zeit.de.