Krasznahorkai, winner of the 2015 International Man Booker prize, writes The Last Wolf in one, long, sprawling sentence, in which a professor tells a bartender the story of his invitation to “mercilessly barren” Extremadura, Spain. There, he becomes fixated on the story of the area’s last wolf and, with his interpreter, tracks the final movements of the wolf and its hunters. Krasznahorkai’s writing is physically affecting: the prose never pauses and so we are compelled to hold our breath. Tension is profoundly magnified and the wolf’s death and the professor’s deep insecurities become all the more vivid and unsettling. Herman deals with similar themes; a “peerless virtuoso of trapping” is hired to rid a “feral forest” of its “noxious predators”, but – after a crisis of conscience – turns his traps on another type of prey. In both novellas, Krasznahorkai shows himself to be a writer of immense talent, capable of creating stories that are both unforgettably visceral and beautiful on the page.
• The Last Wolf & Herman by László Krasznahorkai is published by Profile Books (£12.99). To order a copy for £11.04 go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p over £10, online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99
