Peter Adolphsen,Charlotte Barslund
This astonishing novel begins in 1907, when Josef Siedler, a science-fiction devotee, ventures deep into a series of caves in search of an entrance to the underworld. Disappointed in his quest, he nonetheless returns with a peculiar souvenir: a small rock sample that emits a strange humming sound. Upon Siedlerâ€™s death, the rock is bequeathed to his nephew, a significant step in what will become an extraordinary journey through the arc of history. For as the stone passes through the hands of a series of owners, it collects their experiences: from pre-World War I ambitions and inter-war anarchism to conditions during World War II, the bleakness of life in post-war East Germany, the German art scene of the 1960s, and more. These â€œsnapshotsâ€ of the twentieth century serve to chronicle the continuity of humanity, with all its strengths and weaknesses, in spare, haunting prose. In ,The Brummstein,, Danish author Peter Adolphsen has spun a mysticalâ€”and movingly memorableâ€”exploration of the meaning of life.
Fiction,Cultural,Denmark,Novella,European Literature,Danish,Cultural,Germany,Science Fiction,Literature,21st Century,Short Stories
The Brummstein