Idyll with a drowning dog

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Idylle with a drowning dog is the title of a story by Michael Köhlmeier , published in 2008, about the relationship between an author and his editor. The literary genre of the work cannot be clearly defined; it is referred to as both a novel and a novella .

content

The first-person narrator and his wife Monika received a visit at home in Hohenems ( Vorarlberg ) during a particularly snowy winter , from the strange lecturer Dr. Johannes Beer to work on a new book. The relationship between the author and the editor seems very cool and purely on a professional level. The narrator seems to be rather uncomfortable with the visit, as it is difficult for him to imagine his editor together with friends - it seems inconceivable to him that he should become one himself.

Dr. Beer, who is very afraid of dogs, encounters a big, brown dog while walking in Hohenems, which accompanies the lecturer for a while and then disappears again. A few days later, Dr. Beer for another walk, this time with the narrator. As they walk past a lake, they see the same dog that, when Dr. Beer calls him, breaks into the ice. While the editor gets help, the author tries with all his might to save the dog. He holds on to it convulsively, even if that puts him in danger, as if he couldn't bear the idea of ​​losing something.

interpretation

The story has autobiographical features: Michael Köhlmeier addresses the death of his daughter Paula Köhlmeier - she died in a hiking accident at the age of 21 - in the form of a fictional dialogue with Dr. Beer, in which he speaks of insomnia and depression due to this loss. Like the first-person narrator, the author lives in Hohenems.

Web links