The Emperor of China
The Emperor of China is a novel by Tilman Rammstedt , which was published in 2008 by DuMont Verlag in Cologne and was awarded the Ingeborg Bachmann Prize and the associated audience award. The work has since been published in Spanish, Catalan and Czech as well as an audio book.
content
Keith and his four siblings grow up with his grandfather, who regularly brings home “new grandmothers” who are mostly younger than himself. One of them is Franziska, with whom Keith falls in love. For his birthday, the grandchildren give the grandfather a trip to the destination of his choice; the grandfather wants China . Keith, who is supposed to accompany his grandfather, refuses to make such a long journey and the grandfather finally sets off on his own. A few days later, Keith received the news that his grandfather had been found dead in the Westerwald ; Keith is to appear in the pathology there to identify him. In order not to have to admit to his siblings that the trip to China didn't even take place, Keith hides in his summer house and writes letters to the others about a fictional trip to China that is gradually becoming more and more bizarre. It turns out that the grandfather wanted to go to China because his great love from his youth was an overweight Chinese weightlifter who sadly passed away. Keith's fictional travelogue ends with his grandfather staying in China. In reality, Keith drives to the Westerwald, where he pretends that the dead man is definitely not his grandfather.
supporting documents
- ↑ ISBN 978-3-8321-8074-4
- ↑ Tilman Rammstedt wins Bachmann Prize , on Spiegel Online , as seen on April 4, 2010.
- ↑ DNB entry
Web links
- Extract from a novel at the Days of German-Language Literature in Klagenfurt
- The blurb of the book and newspaper reviews at the pearl divers
- Interview with Tilman Rammstedt in tip Berlin