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Lisa's Reviews > Satantango
Satantango
by
by
Lisa's review
bookshelves: favorites, havanas-en-masse, monster-mash-of-a-mess, sparkling
Dec 06, 2018
bookshelves: favorites, havanas-en-masse, monster-mash-of-a-mess, sparkling
A Tale of Prophesy, Foreshadowing, Coming, Death, Resurrection, and Testament - and it is not the Bible.
But scary and dark as it is, Satantango got many points right that the Bible didn't (because it is told in too many contradictory voices, like a random stampede).
A tango is danced with structure, with different orchestrated movements leading in one direction, even though the dancers step back occasionally, following the music of the Pied Piper summoning humanity to create a meaningless yet passionate act of artistic performance.
The true power is in the discovery that words can interfere with reality. Charismatic leaders can wake up the dull sleepers of a village and stir its inhabitants into action. It creates sexual desire and violent needs, it is a source of confidence and humiliation. Following the storyteller, history moves forwards and backwards until the circle closes ... but it never really does, even though the book closes on that note. And it is not a circle at all, but a spiral, and it keeps winding its path around and around, to the tune of the tango.
Satan is a brilliant dancer.
Satantango reminded me of my favourite ABBA song when I was a child, addictive and fairylike, only it lacks the passionate eros of a Latin dance. Krasznahorkai added that flavour in Satantango:
They came from the hills
And they came from the valleys and the plains
They struggled in the cold
In the heat and the snow and in the rain
Came to hear him play
Play their minds away
We're all following a strange melody
We're all summoned by a tune
We're following the piper
And we dance beneath the moon
We're following the piper
And we dance beneath the moon for him
And we dance beneath the moon
Sub luna saltamus
They came from the south
From the west and the north and from the east
They waited for the man
Like a parish is waiting for the priest
Longed to hear him play
Play their minds away
We're all following a strange melody
We're all summoned by a tune
We're following the piper
And we dance beneath the moon
We're following the piper
But scary and dark as it is, Satantango got many points right that the Bible didn't (because it is told in too many contradictory voices, like a random stampede).
A tango is danced with structure, with different orchestrated movements leading in one direction, even though the dancers step back occasionally, following the music of the Pied Piper summoning humanity to create a meaningless yet passionate act of artistic performance.
The true power is in the discovery that words can interfere with reality. Charismatic leaders can wake up the dull sleepers of a village and stir its inhabitants into action. It creates sexual desire and violent needs, it is a source of confidence and humiliation. Following the storyteller, history moves forwards and backwards until the circle closes ... but it never really does, even though the book closes on that note. And it is not a circle at all, but a spiral, and it keeps winding its path around and around, to the tune of the tango.
Satan is a brilliant dancer.
Satantango reminded me of my favourite ABBA song when I was a child, addictive and fairylike, only it lacks the passionate eros of a Latin dance. Krasznahorkai added that flavour in Satantango:
They came from the hills
And they came from the valleys and the plains
They struggled in the cold
In the heat and the snow and in the rain
Came to hear him play
Play their minds away
We're all following a strange melody
We're all summoned by a tune
We're following the piper
And we dance beneath the moon
We're following the piper
And we dance beneath the moon for him
And we dance beneath the moon
Sub luna saltamus
They came from the south
From the west and the north and from the east
They waited for the man
Like a parish is waiting for the priest
Longed to hear him play
Play their minds away
We're all following a strange melody
We're all summoned by a tune
We're following the piper
And we dance beneath the moon
We're following the piper
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Reading Progress
December 1, 2018
–
Started Reading
December 1, 2018
– Shelved
December 6, 2018
– Shelved as:
favorites
December 6, 2018
– Shelved as:
havanas-en-masse
December 6, 2018
– Shelved as:
monster-mash-of-a-mess
December 6, 2018
– Shelved as:
sparkling
December 6, 2018
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-20 of 20 (20 new)
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by
[deleted user]
(new)
Dec 02, 2018 01:44PM
This looks extremely tempting.
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Krasznahorkai und ABBA - Lisa, du bringst immer noch einen überraschenden Punkt!
Steffi wrote: "Krasznahorkai und ABBA - Lisa, du bringst immer noch einen überraschenden Punkt!"Naja, du musst zugeben, dass beide den Punkt bestärken, dass betäubende Wirkung nicht notwendigerweise durch Tiefgründigkeit erreicht wird: Irimias ist ja nun nicht gerade eine Leuchte, aber er bringt das Dorf auf Trab. Und ich, '76 in Schweden geboren, folge wahrscheinlich immer noch unbewusst dem Beat meiner Kindheit. Auswendig kann ich sie alle, die ABBA Lieder. Und der Name der Gruppe ist ähnlich auf- und absteigend wie die Kapitel in Satantango. Alles eine Frage der persönlichen Bezüge, wie das Buch ja zum Ausdruck bringt ;-) Wo es keinen Sinn gibt, darf man frei assoziieren.
Ich wünschte, ich würde das Buch so bewundern können wie deine herrliche Review, Lisa!
Michael wrote: "Ich wünschte, ich würde das Buch so bewundern können wie deine herrliche Review, Lisa!"Danke dir, Michael! Es hat gerade den richtigen Touch von danse macabre gehabt, um meinem Leben in Dezember zu entsprechen...
Lisa wrote: "... Es hat gerade den richtigen Touch von danse macabre gehabt, um meinem Leben in Dezember zu entsprechen..."Danse macabre Anfang Dezember? Lisa, das muss ein sehr (nord)schwedisches Gefühl infolge der Polarnächte sein. Für mich ist Dezember eher ein freudiger Monat mit den ganzen Weihnachtsmärkten, Adventstimmung und Vorfreude auf Weihnachten. Deshalb habe ich auch nicht mitgelesen um diese Stimmung nicht zu beeinträchtigen.
You said that you were going to read this three and a half years ago so I've been awaiting this review all that time. It was worth the wait. I suspect that you've been wanting to time it with the ABBA reunion. I have to admit that in my long lost review, I never mentioned ABBA. Thanks for once again being interesting Lisa.
Great stuff, Lisa. I've been meaning to read it for some time now, even started it some time back but boy, was it bleak, just couldn't force myself to continue then. But for sure going to read it at some point. And his other novels too.
Peter wrote: "Lisa wrote: "... Es hat gerade den richtigen Touch von danse macabre gehabt, um meinem Leben in Dezember zu entsprechen..."Danse macabre Anfang Dezember? Lisa, das muss ein sehr (nord)schwedische..."
Wir scheinen diametral unterschiedliche Stresslevel im Dezember zu haben, Peter :-) Ich scheitere jedes Jajr daran, Mutter, Lehrerin, Weihnachtsfrau, Köchin, Gastgeberin etc zu sein. Am Ende will ich nur allein in einem Hotelzimmer einen Stapel Bücher genießen. Aber ich tanze immer weiter... Vitamin D fehlt natürlich auch.
RK-ïsme wrote: "You said that you were going to read this three and a half years ago so I've been awaiting this review all that time. It was worth the wait. I suspect that you've been wanting to time it with the A..."Your deleted Faust comparison needed a counterweight, I thought, fully expecting mine to disappear as well. But it didn't. Abba earworms are hard to get rid of.
Awesome review, Lisa! I am glad this resonated as loud with you as it did with me. I had been exploring LK's since I was left breathless by Satantango!
Agnieszka wrote: "Great stuff, Lisa. I've been meaning to read it for some time now, even started it some time back but boy, was it bleak, just couldn't force myself to continue then. But for sure going to read it a..."I read Melancholy of Resistance before this one, and I feel it makes more sense now - after Satantango. I understood his rhythm better all of a sudden :-) Looking forward to your experience with him, Agnieszka!
You've made this book sound so fundemontal that now I want to tango too! And I only have to stretch out my arm to select it for a turn on the dance floor. The only problem: it's one of many possible dance partners, and my dance card is so full of promises...
Seemita wrote: "Awesome review, Lisa! I am glad this resonated as loud with you as it did with me. I had been exploring LK's since I was left breathless by Satantango!"I remember your review, Seemita, and fully agree with you now I have been to that strange dance party myself :-)
Fionnuala wrote: "You've made this book sound so fundemontal that now I want to tango too! And I only have to stretch out my arm to select it for a turn on the dance floor. The only problem: it's one of many possib..."
I think you can well wait until it summons you strongly enough, Fionnuala. Listen for a bell on a muddy, dark afternoon...
Konstantin wrote: "This looks extremely tempting."It is, Konstantin!
My dearest Lisa. The vision of the perky Abba girls popping up here and there, capering in the rhythm of Krasznahorkai's danse macabre..... -- brilliant. And when it's combined with the vividest bonus of your pedagogical, feminist self embracing the passionate eros of Ricky Martin -- my goodness, I am in heaven :)
T for Tongue-tied wrote: "My dearest Lisa. The vision of the perky Abba girls popping up here and there, capering in the rhythm of Krasznahorkai's danse macabre..... -- brilliant. And when it's combined with the vividest bo..."My thread turns into a dance party, T! That's exactly what should happen too. You start by trying to write a serious review of a grave topic, and all of a sudden you are hijacked by a tune: "we're following the Piper...", and then by another one... I have a vision of Antonio Banderas on the Hungarian Plains now...
Definitely want to read this!
Nathan wrote: "Definitely want to read this!"It is a bit muddy and rainy and dark, but otherwise enjoyable :-)
