A review by kilburnadam
Animalinside by László Krasznahorkai, Ottilie Mulzet, Max Neumann

5.0

Animalinside by Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, in collaboration with German artist Max Neumann, is a narrative exploration of a strange creature, born from a painting, that seeks to understand its place within infinity. The creature, depicted as a dog-like figure confined yet struggling for freedom, symbolizes contradictions and ambiguities reminiscent of Beckett's work. This complex yet minimalistic narrative explores the creature's raw, uncontained desire for freedom and its challenging paradoxical existence. As an open text, it resists definitive conclusions and invites readers into a realm of endless possibilities. Despite the declared extinction of language, memory, and judgment, the creatures' futile claim to kingship echoes a desperate existence. The book, published by New Directions, showcases Krasznahorkai's fascination with language as a tool for creating new myths amid modern chaos.