Sátántangó
by László Krasznahorkai · first published 1985
44% recommend33% neutral22% critical
"Set in an isolated hamlet, Satantango unfolds over the course of a few rain-soaked days. Only a dozen inhabitants remain in the bleak village, rank with the stench of failed schemes, betrayals, failure, infidelity, sudden hopes, and aborted dreams. At the center of Satantango is the eponymous drunken dance."--P. [i].
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If you're into the long sentences thing, try Laszlo Krasznahorkai: http://www.amazon.com/The-Melancholy-Resistance-Laszlo-Krasz... , http://www.amazon.com/Satantango-L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3-Krasznahor... Sometimes sentences span pages. Each chapter is a single paragraph. The movie adaptations are fantastic too.
on “From Thomas Pynchon, a novel of the dot-com era and the end of history” ↗Satantango, by László Krasznahorkai.
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Satantango or the melancholy of resistance are good places to start. His books aren't all the same but there are some qualities they all share. They're intricate, reference-heavy, postmodern novels with a lot of…
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗He's my favorite working author! (Well, maybe that's Pynchon) I recommend not only his early works like Satantango but also his recent ones like Seiobo There Below (lucky to have a signed copy of this one). The short ones are interesting too. Animalinside (with Max Neumann), The Last Wolf. Interested in checking…
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗If you are looking for some modern stuff that would go nicely with Dostoyevsky/Kafka, I can warmly recommend Krasznahorkai, especially his first book, Satantango. Really well written and well structured novel, and although he uses long sentences and no paragraph breaks, the writing is surprisingly accessible and incredibly immersive. It was my first fiction…
on “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” ↗That's the good stuff! I recommend Satantango, and all of Bergman.
on “Stephen Hawking's Ph.D. Thesis Crashes Cambridge Site After It's Posted Online” ↗…filmmaking where the spirit of text comes across the screen perfectly. If that is so, then these are books that you read to experience ultimate ennui? I know the films, I've watched them all, but doing e.g. Satantango in book form sounds not so enticing?
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗I've never heard of them. Does anyone have a top suggestion for checking out his works or standout book? And for those of you that have read him, what did you get out the experience? Should I just read Satantango?
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗…somewhat routinely. When Turin Horse came out I saw it at the NYFF (with an hour long talk in a small room with the director) and then another 3 times in theaters afterward. I've been lucky to catch Satantango and Werckmeister on film. Tarr also mentored a young Chinese director, Hu Bo. His two works are very good: An Elephant Sitting Still and Man in the Well. Tarr came out to TIFF to introduce and eulogize…
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗…works Wow I just found out that I have quite a valuable collection of his works - the surprisingly expensive ones that I had casually picked up when they were new: - The Last Wolf 1st edition, $300 - Satantango 1st edition, $200 - Music & Literature No. 2, unknown value (no record of secondary market resale) - AnimalInside, $300, only 2000 copies published Time to encase these in something...
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗I've loved all of the work I've read except Satantango, so if you bounce of that novel I would recommend the rest. That said, I started with the short story collection The World Goes On and thought it was brilliant.
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗…it would be a long process for me. I enjoyed the effort in spanish literature class, maybe I can do it again. https://www.graywolfpress.org/books/season-swamp On the topic of the OP, I struggled with Satantango on more than one occasion over the last 12 years. For whatever reason I couldn't get through it, but I've carried the book around through several moves. Maybe I'll try again.
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗I commented elsewhere: Satantango is easily my least favorite LK so far. If you want to try something else, I would recommend The Melancholy of Resistance as a novel with similar concerns but better execution, War & War as a metafictional…
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗"Doing Satantango in book form?" The book is the original.
on “Nobel Prize in Literature 2025: László Krasznahorkai” ↗