The Illogic of Kassel
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
A puzzling phone call shatters a writer’s routine. An enigmatic female voice extends an invitation to take part in Documenta, the legendary contemporary art exhibition held every five years in Kassel, Germany. The writer’s mission will be to transform himself into a living art installation, by sitting down to write every morning in a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of town.
Once in Kassel, the writer is surprised to find himself overcome by good cheer. As he strolls through the city, spurred on by his spontaneous, quirky response to art, he begins to make sense of the wonders that surround him.
'A writer who has no equal in the contemporary landscape of the Spanish novel'
Roberto Bolaño
'Vila-Matas's work made a tremendous impression on me'
Paul Auster
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Vila-Matas (Dublinesque) delivers wit and humor in this thought-provoking read. The unnamed narrator receives a mysterious phone call from Maria Boston, a young woman claiming to work for the curators of Documenta 13, a renowned and exclusive art exhibition in Kassel, Germany. Maria invites the narrator to participate; he agrees, eager to be validated by those he idealizes as the avant-garde. However, the narrator is not enthusiastic about the role assigned to him by the elusive organizer: he's asked to spend several days as a "writer in public," writing every morning at Dschingis Khan, a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of the city. The narrator's inner conflict ebbs and flows as he strolls Kassel in search of inspiration and meaning. The story is a labyrinth of non sequiturs, MacGuffins, and digressions. To ensure the reader is never lost while the story wanders along complex intellectual pathways, Vila-Matas employs section breaks and his narrator announces dramatic shifts. These thoughtful pauses help route the narrative as it winds into trenchant critiques of the avant-garde and how existence can be defined and justified through art. This is an enjoyable journey through the mind of a magnificent Spanish author.
