The gray face

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The gray face is a crime story by Andreas Aberle .

content

The book is set in an undesignated German city in the 1960s (suggestively Munich ). Master electrician Friedhelm Pollinger discovers that his customer Stiefelknecht owns a medical device that extends life through radiation. Pollinger murders Bootjack, separates from his wife and takes possession of the device. However, since Pollinger - in contrast to Stiefelknecht - cannot control the side effects of radiation or is unable to obtain the appropriate medication, he finally dies at the age of 31 from agonizing physical decline. His divorced wife starts a relationship with his doctor, but is murdered shortly afterwards before the doctor hangs himself in custody. The device was previously destroyed in a fire in the shared apartment.

background

Almost the entire story is told from Pollinger's perspective in the form of diary entries. Only the introduction and conclusion are told from the perspective of a stranger reading the diary found under the doctor's mattress. The story has two main motifs: Pollinger, who gets lost in the idea of ​​eternal life and becomes a murderer for it. Later the sorcerer's apprentice motif: Pollinger has embarked on experiments with a stolen technology that he has not mastered and that ultimately costs him his life. Finally, the roles of his two counterparts are reversed: At the bedside, Pollinger and his formerly grumbling wife Margot rediscover their affection. At this time, Pollinger also recognized the motivation of Stiefelknecht: At the last second - in the face of death - he tried to destroy the device. But not - as Pollinger had suspected - so that he would have none of it, but to save Pollinger from the end he had foreseen.

The ethical problems of indefinite life extension are not addressed. It is also not entirely clear whether Stiefelknecht murdered his brother who invented the device or whether he died while experimenting with the radiation.

particularities

Around 1980, The Gray Face , spoken by Waldemar Müller, was one of the first audio books . Although a rather unknown work, it enjoys cult status with a small fan base. In 1998 it was reissued.

literature