The invention of life
The Invention of Life is an autobiographical novel by the German writer Hanns-Josef Ortheil .
content
The Invention of Life tells the story of Ortheil from his childhood to the end of his pianist career and his first successes as a writer. As the only surviving child of his parents, who lost four sons in World War II and the time after, he grows up in Cologne . The mother has become mute, and her fifth son also lives by her side for the time being. It took years for him to break free from the clutches of his family, start a career as a pianist in Rome and - after it failed - try to find his new fortune by writing.
shape
Structure of the novel
The novel The Invention of Life is divided into two narrative levels. On the first level, Ortheil, as a first-person narrator, reports his story as a boy up to the age of around 25. On the second level, he tells his current situation in Rome, where he went again to write this story.
chronology
The period from the beginning of the 1950s to the mid-1970s is described. Ortheil wrote this novel in Rome, about 30 years after leaving Rome.
Narrative attitude
Ortheil's account is purely subjective . The novel is essentially told from the perspective of the main character.
Reading sample
THEN, IN my early childhood, I would often sit on the windowsill in the afternoons with my knees pulled up, my head leaning close to the window, and look down at the large, oval square in front of our Cologne apartment building. A flock of birds circled high above in even circles, slowly descended, and then rose again into the last, fading light. Some children were still playing in the square below, tired and listless. I waited for Father, who would be coming soon, I knew exactly where he was, because he usually appeared in a narrow street opening between the tall buildings diagonally opposite, in a long coat, his briefcase under his arm.
Each time he looked up at my window, and when he recognized me, he stopped for a moment and waved. He waved to me with his hand held high, and each time I waved back and a little later jumped off the windowsill onto the floor. Then I kept my eyes on him as he crossed the oval square and approached the house, he kept looking up at me, and every time he looked up, a laugh went through his face.
Reviews
- DR: “A duped critic found a dreary term for the kind of literature that the 1951-born author Hanns-Josef Ortheil has been publishing for several years:" intelligent entertainment ". This has the sour implication that Ortheil's literature is too intelligent for entertainment and too entertaining for art. "
- FAZ: “In contrast to most of his fellow writers, Ortheil is not afraid of happy endings and great love. Invention of Life has become a comforting novel. "
- ZEIT: "In his impressive artist story, Hanns-Josef Ortheil tells of a silent mother and a life dedicated to music."
Text output
- The invention of life. Novel. Luchterhand Literaturverlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-630-87296-4 . 591 pp. (Original edition).
- The invention of life. Novel. btb Verlag, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-442-73978-3 . 591 pp.
Web links
- Hanns-Josef Ortheil: The Invention of Life , on the website of the Luchterhand literary publisher
- Review notes on The Invention of Life at perlentaucher.de
- Review of "The Invention of Life" in the review forum literaturkritik.de of the University of Marburg
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Invention of Life , excerpt on the Luchterhand / Randomhouse website
- ↑ Breaking out of the silence. Deutschlandradio from October 1st, 2009.
- ↑ Beyond Language. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of October 2, 2009.
- ↑ Still life of the post-war period. The time of February 15, 2010.