Patrick Suskind lives secludedly in Germany and almost never gives interviews. His life is as mysterious as the life of the hero of his famous novel, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. But if you can read everything about the life of Grenouille, then it is almost impossible to find out anything about the current life of Suskind.
Content< /span>“Double bass”, 1980“Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer”, 1985″Dove”, 1987″The Tale of Mr. Sommer”, 1991 
Literary hermit Patrick Suskind. Source: Instagram
His rare photos, which can be found on the Internet, were taken several decades ago, and Suskind also has a wife and son. Today, on the birthday of the incredibly talented but unsociable German writer, playwright and screenwriter, WomanEL remembers his 4 books that are worth reading at least once in your life.
“Double bass”, 1980
The premiere of the one-man show in one act took place in 1981 in Munich. In “Double Bass,” the author first spoke about the “little man,” who would later become his main character.
The whole book is emotional monologue of an outsider. Source: Instagram
The unsuccessful smuggler suffers from his loneliness and lack of recognition. In the orchestra where he plays, no one notices him or values him. He loves, but the woman he loves doesn’t even know about his existence. All that remains is the double bass, which he prefers to perfection and what a living being for him…
The entire book is an emotional monologue of a man about his profession and music, such a cry from the soul of an outsider who wants to attract attention to himself. The play is almost 40 years old, but it is still one of the most popular. It is staged in Paris, London, Berlin, Vienna, and the German actor Walter Renneisen has been playing the play for more than 30 years.
“Perfumer. The Story of a Murderer”, 1985
“Perfumer. The story of a murderer.” Source: Instagram
Suskind set out to prove that genius and crime are compatible things. He leads the reader to the idea that the power of genius can be creative or destructive. Depending on what accompanies his love or hate. If a genius chooses the path of evil, the immense power of his talent destroys him and leaves nothing useful for the world. Therefore, history does not preserve the names of such people.
Everyone independently searches for the answer to the question – who is he, this unusual Jean-Baptiste-Grenouille, the main character of the novel? A brilliant criminal, a talented evil genius, or just an unhappy person? Should you seek the love and respect of people in amazing and terrible ways if you hate them? After all, then, having achieved the goal, there is no pleasure…
“Perfume” made Suskind one of the most famous and successful writers of modern German literature. The novel remains one of the most popular books today.
“Dove”, 1987
A slow and calm story about a lonely man. Source: Instagram
A story about one day in the life of a “little man.” There is no dynamics or sharp turns in the book. “Dove” is a slow and calm story about a lonely man. The work makes you think about your own life, your own goals and actions.
The plot centers on the main character who cannot join the blood circulation of society, but lives with complete humility. He has resigned himself to living and is content with what he has.
But one day his life is replaced by a dove that suddenly appears under his window. The bird brings chaos into the measured life of a man, and he decides to leave home so as not to encounter the dove.
« The Tale of Mr. Sommer”, 1991
A fairy tale from childhood… Source: Instagram
Lyrical and at the same time ironic, a text full of fantasy that reveals new facets of the writer Patrick Suskind. The author unmistakably finds the right intonation of memories – between humor and pain. The whole book is a mixture of poetry, tenderness and gentle humor. A fairy tale from childhood is permeated with bitter and sweet nostalgia.
It is not for nothing that Patrick Suskind is called a phantom writer, because his heroes are incomprehensible and mysterious, like their creator…
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