Monsieur Ki by Koffi Kwahulé

> l-H w -j ci O poems translated into English. Al though he wrote some short pieces of fiction back in the 1990s, Ked ves ismeretlen is Kem?ny's first full length novel. The author's motto, "A novel is fiction," appears next to the title page. This statement allows the author (despite loosely basing some of the characters on real persons) to avoid the danger of too-close identification,as some of themmay still be alive. The novel is set in the 1980s, a period when Hungary was stillunder Communist rule, though by this period party control had diminished and censorship was less strict, with most Western books and records becoming widely available. So the youthful heroes of the book who are seeking "the meaning of life" are able to do this in an envi ronment that, although permiting them only a limited choice of self expression, is varied, more tolerant, and fairly permissive. The narrative revolves around Tam?s, a young man with a "bour geois" background who works in the storerooms of the fictionalNational "Corvin" Library situated up in the Castle. (Though differing inmany aspects, themodel for the library is the actual National S?ch?nyi Libra ry, which is indeed set in a building of the old castle in the Buda hills.) Tam?s's family?the mother, father, Uncle Lajos, and the two sisters?are all described ingreat detail; not only their behavior but also their inner thoughts and feelings are analyzed and thereby exposed. The family lives in Ny?k, a small town near Budapest, a place similar in many ways to the town of ?rd, where Kem?ny himself lived at one point. From here Tam?s commutes daily to the library. The other characters consist ofTam?s's young friendsand colleagues in the library, including Patai, a fiendishly clever and sinister older librarian (a Luciferian figure, pata meaning "hoof" in Hungarian). Tam?s's thinking is molded more by these colleagues than by his imme diate family. Tam?s's mother, for example, expectsmerely stereotyped answers and behavior from her chil dren. The young people occasion ally gather at a secluded spotwhere they smoke, drink, or just yell to their hearts' content. That is certain lywhat most young people would do, even in present-day Hungary, twenty years after the change of re gime. The novel has appeal both for the younger and for the older, more sophisticated reader,partlybe cause there are many in-jokes rela tingto thepolitical and cultural situa tionof the times and partly because Kem?ny's subtle ironyand self-irony make even the most banal situation enjoyable to read about. For exam ple, he comes to theconclusionwhile cogitating about his aim in life that he has to "take revenge" for the frustrations suffered by his family. It is not, however, clear (and is not cleared up to the end) exactlywhat form this revenge should take and againstwhom itshould be directed. IfWitold Gombrowicz's bril liant Ferdydurke ends in a Great Heap, Istv?n Kem?ny's Kedves ismeretlen ends with a Great Howl? a way for young people to vent their frustrations.A possible moral to thismost entertaining novel is something of a platitude: you can't get away from family. Free will is a nice idea, but tryas you might, it is your genes plus social circum stances thatwill shape your future. In the meantime, there are diverse ways toenjoy your life,even inpes simistic Hungary. George G?m?ri London Koffi Kwahul?. Monsieur Ki. Paris. Gal limard. 2010. 146 pages. 16. isbn978 2-07-012800-6 Monsieur Ki, Koffi Kwahul?'s sec- ^^^| ond novel, isbased on the supposed memories of an African student in Paris. The student, only named "Monsieur" by his concierge, speaks j^^H on a tape to a mysterious "Mon sieur Ki." The tape is discovered by another student,who rents the room after "Monsieur" has appar ently committed suicide by throw ing himself under a metro train. "Monsieur" describes sup- j^^H posed events in a village renowned j^^H for its violent behavior, where opponents ina soccer game, wheth- ^^^1 er they win or lose, are beaten, and where

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