Me and Kaminski
Me and Kaminski is a novel by Daniel Quinn, the 2003 Suhrkamp Verlag appeared. Theme of the novel, with the Kehlmann international breakthrough, the attempt of the vain and arrogant person narrator, the art historian and self-proclaimed art critic Sebastian Zöllner, its not been particularly successful career with a biography of the old blind painter Kaminski is to find a remedy. To make life and death of Kaminski's advantage, he approaches the legendary painter personally.
The strange tension between the biographer and his living objects and their mutual manipulations provide the framework for a satire on the art world with its vanities and the presentation of embarrassing discrepancy between publican overconfidence and reality.
Content
Sebastian Zöllner, ambitious, self-proclaimed art critic, hopes with the biography of the old blind painter Manuel Kaminski finally to get fame and money. Kaminski, once promoted by Matisse and Picasso and become world famous by a pop art exhibition and the lurid Caption " Painted by a blind man ," has become a bit forgotten and lives a secluded life in the Alps. As is to be expected with its early demise, plans publicans to make the after Kaminski's death certainly once again flaring up attention for the once famous painters advantage: " My book was not allowed to come out before his death, and not too long after that, would be for a short time it are the focus of interest. They would invite me on TV, I would talk about him, and my name and Kaminski's biographer would be displayed at the bottom of the screen in white letters. That would get me a job at one of the major art magazines. "
After speaking with former companions, friends and foes of the painter, he finally makes his way to Kaminski's home in the Alps, where he pushy crowds into the life of the old man. He ransacked his office and studio on the material and even captivates the cook to be alone with the old, seemingly defenseless man can.
As a tax collector Kaminski confronted with the fact that his believed dead puppy love Therese Lessing was still alive and he, publicans, know their address, Kaminski will be brought to her on the spot. During this spontaneous travel tax collector has to realize that he the frail old man - has grown in any way - whether in fact blind or not. Publican turns out to be more and more as a failed, tragic figure. His dream of the big breakthrough finally added Kaminski's daughter Miriam the final death blow, as she revealed to him that there had been another long, including the famous journalist Hans Bahring, tasked with writing the definitive book about her father.
Kaminski will be brought by tax collectors to the sea. Once there, publicans over his dictaphone, the tape recordings and page after page of his notebook the waves. Kaminski has now sat down on the beach and remains there while publicans alone away from him, the sea and the rising tide.
Radioplay
From the West German Radio in Cologne, the book under the direction of Thomas Leutzbach was produced as a radio play. Among the contributors are Anian Zollner and Rudolf Wessely.
Expenditure
(Selection)
- Me and Kaminski. Novel. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2003, ISBN 3-518-41395-3 ( first edition, hardcover )
- Me and Kaminski. Novel. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 2004, ISBN 3-518-45653-9 ( = Suhrkamp Taschenbuch 365 )
- Me and Kaminski. Radio play. Director: Thomas Leutzbach. Produced by the West German Radio. Universal Classics and Jazz, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-8291-1452-4 ( radio drama CD)
Trivia
In Kehl 's ten years later the novel " F" the figure " Sebastian Zöllner " in a short passage occurs again. Apparently publican has aged, still as vain as earlier and remained an art critic. He was " not yet fifty. Too young for retirement. Too old to still to be saddled "