In this collaboration between László Krasznahorkai and artist Max Neumann, a nameless narrator fixates on the Lebzelter-palota, a derelict building in Miskolc, Hungary. The text follows a single, winding sentence that tracks the speaker’s obsessive plan to restore the structure through meticulous, manual labor. As he describes the physical decay of the facade and the precision required for its repair, his internal monologue reveals a desperate need for order amidst architectural ruin. The accompanying black-and-white illustrations provide a visual counterpoint to the protagonist’s deteriorating mental state and his isolation from the physical world.
Readers who value the interplay between prose and visual art will find this work mirrors the tension between grand ambitions and personal fragmentation. It attracts those interested in psychiatric perspectives on obsession and the architectural history of Eastern Europe. The audience walks away with an understanding of how a single physical object can become the entire focus of a fractured mind. The book provides a concentrated look at the relationship between structural integrity and human sanity.
- Published
- 2018
- Language
- EN
