H. C. Artmann (1921–2000)

Shadow-boxing
The last sentence on the back cover reads: "Its hero pursues an ultimate villain, the volatile Dr Unspeakable, through a bizarre labyrinth of situation and genre." - That summarizes H C Artmann's unusual creation fairly well, although I wouldn't define Dr U (who drifts in and out of proceedings) as an "ultimate" villain.

The book (which isn't a novel) consists of thirty-plus vignettes written in an elaborate and often enchanting style. Each snapshot ends with a short quote lifted from various sources which seem only vaguely relevant.

The shape-shifting Dr Unspeakable appears to be the author's alter ego or shadow or doppelganger or demon-on-the-shoulder or vardøger (good word!) - I might be wrong about this, but that's the impression I got.

Overall The Quest for Dr U is an entertaining albeit uneven read, the kind of book which could potentially be re-visited many times because of the hidden meanings and a sense of clever depth contained within each sketch.
However, as a whole, it doesn't quite hang together in a convincing way: its teleporting randomness may annoy some readers. That said, this is an enigmatic book, and is perhaps one for the inquisitive reader drawn to discover more than initially meets the eye.… (mer)

Die Sonne war ein grünes Ei. Von der Erschaffung der Welt und ihren Dingen is a collection of fairy tales/myths by H.C. Artmann. The title literally means: The sun was a green egg. Of the creation of the world and its things.

Plot:
The creation of the world as you’ve never seen it before: Maybe the sun really is an egg. Maybe Coffee Mill and Paper Kite are responsible for the creation of living things. Or maybe it was a magician and false prophet. Or…

Artmann created some very fantastic (in the literal sense) and weird stories, but in some ways they are more of the same old, same old – especially with regards to sexism. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the collection for the most part.

Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2016/11/05/die-sonne-war-ein-grunes-ei-h-c-artmann/… (mer)