In the novella
Der fernste Ort[
The Farthest Place, 2001], which is flanked by Daniel Kehlmann’s novels about an obsessed physicist and a desperate and unscrupulous art historian, the author explores the motivations of a young man whose average, enervating existence inspires him to escape his life and fake his own death by drowning. There is, however, nothing ordinary about Kehlmann’s narrative talent. Both his spare style in this work, coupled with his impeccable timing, elaborate the attempted escape from a life that is distinguished only by the weight of its inconsequence. The novella opens with a warning directed at the protagonist, Julian, who is about to go swimming in unpredictable currents. He works for an insurance company, a job brokered by Julian’s older, more…
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Citation: Simpson, Patricia. "Der fernste Ort". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 August 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=24833, accessed 23 November 2024.]
