Slipping out of the sackcloth
Imre Kertész: Europe’s Oppressive Legacy
Can someone define themselves freely? This is Kertész's great theme in this volume of essays. Collectivism, he states, far from being merely an aspect of totalitarian regimes, "is the most characteristic feature of the twentieth century… and it thoroughly sweeps away both the individual and individuality". – Imre Kertész died five years ago. To mark the anniversary we present László F. Földényi's review on Europe’s Oppressive Legacy from 2009.
László F. Földényi31 March 2021
Translated by Ottlie Mulzet
“Not long before the change – the change of regime – when the disintegration was already perceptible, I was seized by a desire to come to an understanding of where I was actually living, to discover the roots of my existence, which not only existentially but also historically was perceived and felt as utterly absurd.”