First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther. Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.

Synopsis:

Many realities come alive in the stories of The World Goes On. A traveler, reeling from the signhts and sounds of Varanasi, India, encounters a man on the banks of the Ganges who rants about a single drop of water. A Hungarian interpreter obsessed with waterfalls, at the edge of the abyss in his own mind, walks the chaotic streets of Shanghai. A child laborer in a Portuguese quarry wanders into a surreal realm utterly foreign to his daily toils. In Krasznahorkai’s words: “Each text is about drawing our attention away form this world, speeding our bodies toward annihilation, and immersing ourselves in a current of thought or a narrative.

It’s the end of the workweek—yay! Finally, the weekend is here. I’m glad we all made it through another week. I hope everyone was able to finish the week on a high note. I hope you accomplished all your tasks, or at least made significant progress toward them. It’s now time to dress down and let your hair down—to dive into the weekend! I hope everyone gets to spend it wisely. Following the threat of a supertyphoon over the weekend, the rest of the week has had fair weather. The stifling Manila heat is back, even though it’s supposedly cooling down as we approach the holiday season. More than anything, I hope we no longer have to experience major weather disturbances for the rest of the year. Apparently, meteorologists foresee about ten more. I hope we don’t experience all—or any—of these ten typhoons. Still, keep safe, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

With the workweek coming to a close, it’s time for a fresh First Impression Friday update. Over the years, this blogging meme has become an essential part of my weekly book-blogging routine. It provides a great opportunity to take a reading breather while reflecting on my current read. These updates have also become springboards for my eventual book reviews. Currently, I’m using the remaining weeks of the year to complete the books I listed in my reading goals and challenges; this has somehow become a tradition. The remaining books in these challenges are part of American and African literature. My attention for the rest of the year is therefore on books written by American—both North and South—and African writers. My current read, however, is not part of any of these reading challenges. In a way, I find myself on a Nobel Laureates in Literature reading binge. It’s because of this that I decided to read László Krasznahorkai’s The World Goes On.

The Hungarian writer was recently recognized by the Swedish Academy for his compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art. Interestingly, it was in the lead-up to the announcement of the 2018/2019 Nobel Prize in Literature that I first encountered him. He was among the favorites for the Prize. However, the Swedish Academy ultimately awarded it to his fellow European writers, Polish author Olga Tokarczuk (2018) and Austrian author Peter Handke (2019). It turns out that it was simply delayed gratification, as he was recognized about six years later, making him only the second Hungarian writer to receive the Nobel Prize. Nevertheless, his inclusion in the 2019 Nobel Prize in Literature discussions was more than enough to pique my interest. During the height of the pandemic, I began exploring his body of work with his debut novel, Sátántangó (1985). It was a memorable experience that made me want to explore even more of his oeuvre.

I wasn’t originally planning on reading any of Krasznahorkai’s works this year until I came across a copy of The World Goes On during one of my random forays into a local bookstore. Believing it to be a novel, I picked it up and made it part of my ongoing reading journey. The World Goes On is a collection of stories originally published in 2013 as Megy a világ. It was made available to Anglophone readers in 2017. The book is my first short-story collection in nearly two years and my first by a Nobel Laureate in Literature; it’s also the third book by Krasznahorkai I’ve read. The book is divided into twenty stories grouped into three parts: Speaks, Narrates, and Bids Farewell. Speaks begins with a series of first-person accounts, many consisting of a single, captivating sentence, such as Wandering-Standing. In the opening story, the anonymous narrator describes needing to get away from where he is, only for us to discover he never really left.

Rather than offering straightforward narratives—this is Krasznahorkai’s universe, after all—each story transforms into essayistic commentary examining an eclectic set of subjects. He Wants to Forget, for instance, pessimistically laments the modern era. Meanwhile, the short story that gives the book its title is a brief but terrified ramble inspired by the attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Reading the book provides a different dimension of Krasznahorkai’s oeuvre. Still, he employs familiar literary devices—at least familiar within his body of work. Some stories comprise a single sentence that spans pages, including the titular The World Goes On; it runs four pages long. There are, however, stories that conform to conventional storytelling—structurally, at least. The variations in structure do not diminish the potency of Krasznahorkai’s writing.

As always, reading his work requires flexibility. Readers are compelled to adjust their expectations, especially as the stories occasionally digress, as in his other works. The stories also transport readers across the world. One, for instance, takes us to the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. Another takes us to Shanghai, China. Still, the stories seem interconnected, albeit by thin threads, making it unclear whether the book is strictly a collection or something closer to a novel. After all, the Hungarian writer rarely conforms to conventional norms. Nevertheless, the stories grapple with grand philosophical questions. As one navigates them, a suffocating sense emerges as they explore existential concerns and even the end of the world.

Brimming with intellectual and profound discourses, The World Goes On offers a distinct dimension of Krasznahorkai’s lush body of work. Each story is complex yet compelling. They push the boundaries of my imagination—or perhaps more of my critical faculties. Still, The World Goes On is an intriguing read. I’m nearly done with the book, and I can’t wait to see how the Hungarian writer wraps it all up. How about you, fellow reader? What book (or books) are you reading this weekend? I hope you’re enjoying your current read. Happy weekend!