Korin

Korin is the novel’s protagonist. As archivist who previously worked at a records office in a small town in Hungary, he descended into madness after discovering a mysterious manuscript at work. Once he discovers it, he interprets the task of preserving it as both a personal mission and a form of salvation. The novel emphasises that this mission is self-fashioned rather than externally conferred, which makes his dedication appear both admirable in its consistency and alarming in its intensity.

Korin’s monologues reveal a mind that moves rapidly between observation, speculation, and fear. His language often approaches the edge of hysteria, which positions him as both a narrator and an unreliable subject. His perception of threat is constant. This is reflected early in the novel when he is punched in the stomach by a stranger on arrival in New York, an incident he interprets as evidence that...