In this book about his life, literary critic and author Hubert Winkels embarks on numerous journeys, weaving them together into a dazzling whole.
These excursions begin in his childhood in a Catholic village on the Lower Rhine and extend through his family’s fascinating history and his intellectual awakening, ignited by the postmodern, wildly liberal thinking of the 1970s. They lead him into the worlds of literature and cinema, music and drugs – and the religious experiences intrinsic to them – as well as the realm of enlightening criticism.
These journeys of discovery take him in all directions: to Moscow and Jerusalem, Tokyo and Paris, Brazil and China, Missouri and Upper Lusatia, to the artists’ island of Hombroich, to the “Field of Blackbirds” in Serbia, to Stonehenge and Delphi.
Along the way, he explores the myths of antiquity, the history of culture and art, the world’s museums, the secrets of world religions, relics, icons, churches, and cemeteries – while also diving into the ecstasies of pop culture, the underground, carnival, football, and fashion.
Ultimately, the journey is about the deep connection between all experiences, transcendence, and the mystery of transformation – the living spirit in worldly things, waiting to be touched by us, both symbolically and physically.
