The Diary of Kaspar Hauser
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The Diary of Kaspar Hauser by Febbraro Paolo
This intriguing gem of a book is a direct, germinal expression of the authorIs longstanding fascination with the figure of the Idiot in Western literature. Part notebook, part ethical treatise, part fantasized autobiography, The Diary of Kaspar Hauser is a striking collection of forty or so haiku-like compositions, diary entries imagined to have been penned by the idiot Kaspar Hauser and discovered, by chance, after his death by brutal murder, among the papers of his patron, Franz Paul Webern. (Franz is KasparIs interlocutor throughout the poems.) This hyperpoetic component of the book - inspired by Werner HerzogIs masterful film - is sandwiched between two essays: the first, an Introduction recounting the remarkable discovery and history of the fabled manuscript; the second, comprising a one-page Epilogue (which details the death of Kaspar) along with a letter in the form of an Appendix by a fictional, highly cultured, Borges-like literary critic who converses with the eponymous Febbraro about his startling, dreamlike find.
The book has all the characteristics - concision of language, fanciful flights of fiction and criticism in concentrated poetic form, sparse elements of theatrical dialogue, a fierce philosophical underpinning - to make for an ancient novelty of sorts: a daring book that surprises and forces us to rethink what we think we already know.
SKU | Unavailable |
ISBN 13 | 9780998677705 |
ISBN 10 | 0998677701 |
Title | The Diary of Kaspar Hauser |
Author | Febbraro Paolo |
Condition | Unavailable |
Publisher | Negative Capability Press |
Year published | 2017-04-30 |
Number of pages | 110 |
Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
Note | Unavailable |