Hubert Winkels writes about his intensive, life-long love affair with books: with beautiful literature, but also with the material objects themselves. He explores his relationship to the authors, which is often very passionate but always intelligent.
And so with his critic’s hat on, the author discusses his life as a critic: living with books, book readings, presenting TV shows and debates, his travels, friendships, wonderful moments and setbacks.
A key section of the book is dedicated to the fiercely debated so-called “emphaticist-gnostic controversy”, which has since preoccupied the review sections of the German press. Just how emphatic he himself can be, is revealed in his essays and encomiums. His approach to new German and international, essentially Anglo-American and Japanese literature is reflected in the selected critiques. The main body is devoted to German literature with texts on Wolf Haas, Daniel Kehlmann, Lutz Seiler, David Wagner, to name just a few. Among the foreign authors discussed are Jonathan Safran Foer, and Stewart O‘Nan, Denis Johnson and Martin Amis, Haruki Murakami and Kenzaburo Oe.
This is a tale about a love-hate relationship with books, shelving systems and alcohol, breakthroughs and breakdowns, juries and prizes, a book about the joy of reading; suitable for all those who have at one time immersed themselves so deeply in a book that they became oblivious to the world around them – and upon finishing, then it viewed this world through different eyes.
