War and War

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War and War is a 1999 novel by Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai. The story revolves around Korim, a 44-year-old man who finds himself trapped in an industrial area of Budapest with seven children ready to attack him. Fear forces him to speak and recount his life as an archivist from the town of Bekéscsaba, located approximately 220 kilometers southeast of Szeged.

Korim's plan for a great journey has just begun, marked by rapid divorce, exclusion from colleagues, loneliness, and silence. The children are there for him, representing money he can no longer provide, and they await the arrival of the 6:48 train against which they throw stones with their traditional Hungarian stone-throwers and modern German professional fish-launching devices.

Seeking refuge in the Cultural Centre of Almassy Square, Korim takes advantage of a concert to sleep. The narrator attempts to synthesize the negative testimonies surrounding Korim's character, describing him as "completely crazy" and "a bastard." However, he also finds solace in conversations with others, including a young hostess at an agency Malév.

This hostess judges Korim as sincere, desperate, but ultimately deemed a "defenseless alien and little whore" by the authorities. Despite this, she helps him obtain an express visa to travel to New York, where he plans to write and publish his manuscript about a mysterious figure. The novel explores themes of identity, loneliness, and the human desire for connection in a chaotic world.

Krasznahorkai's work has been widely acclaimed for its unique blend of psychological insight and philosophical depth. In 2013, War & War was published in French by Cambourakis, further solidifying Krasznahorkai's reputation as one of Hungary's most important writers.