The International Booker Award winner's breathtaking new novel about neo-Nazis, particle physics, and graffiti vandalism

'Propulsive and revelatory' The New York Times

'A work of genius' Telegraph

Florian Herscht has a problem: having faithfully attended Herr Köhler's classes in particle physics for two years, he is convinced that global cataclysm is imminent. And so he embarks upon a one-sided correspondence with Chancellor Angela Merkel, hoping to convince her of the imminent danger of the complete destruction of all physical matter.

Written in one cascading sentence with the force of atomic particles colliding, Krasznahorkai's latest novel is a tour de force, a morality play of blistering satire, a devastating encapsulation of our helplessness in the face of the moral and environmental dilemmas we face.

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE 2025

A breathtaking new novel about neo-Nazis, particle physics, and graffiti vandalism

'Propulsive and revelatory' The New York Times

'A work of genius' 5-star review, Telegraph

Gentle giant Florian Herscht is an orphan, adopted by a neo-Nazi who has apprenticed him as a graffiti cleaner. The Boss, a Bach fanatic, is enraged that someone is spraying wolf emblems across the monuments to the famed composer in their east German town. He is determined to punish the culprit and Florian has no choice but to join his gang as they devise a plan to catch him. But Florian has bigger things to worry about: having attended Herr Köhler's adult education classes in physics, he can see that the world might end at any moment.

Written in one cascading sentence with the power of atomic particles colliding, Krasznahorkai's novel is a tour de force, a moving character study, a blistering satire and devastating encapsulation of our helplessness at the moral and environmental dilemmas we face today.

Translated by Ottilie Mulzet

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE 2025

A breathtaking new novel about neo-Nazis, particle physics, and graffiti vandalism

'Propulsive and revelatory' The New York Times

'A work of genius' 5-star review, Telegraph

Gentle giant Florian Herscht is an orphan, adopted by a neo-Nazi who has apprenticed him as a graffiti cleaner. The Boss, a Bach fanatic, is enraged that someone is spraying wolf emblems across the monuments to the famed composer in their east German town. He is determined to punish the culprit and Florian has no choice but to join his gang as they devise a plan to catch him. But Florian has bigger things to worry about: having attended Herr Köhler's adult education classes in physics, he can see that the world might end at any moment.

Written in one cascading sentence with the power of atomic particles colliding, Krasznahorkai's novel is a tour de force, a moving character study, a blistering satire and devastating encapsulation of our helplessness at the moral and environmental dilemmas we face today.

Translated by Ottilie Mulzet