Particularize Books Concering Faserland
| Original Title: | Faserland |
| ISBN: | 3423129824 (ISBN13: 9783423129824) |
| Edition Language: | German |
| Setting: | Germany |
Christian Kracht
Paperback | Pages: 160 pages Rating: 3.61 | 2529 Users | 106 Reviews
List Regarding Books Faserland
| Title | : | Faserland |
| Author | : | Christian Kracht |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 160 pages |
| Published | : | June 1st 2002 by Dtv (first published 1995) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. European Literature. German Literature. Contemporary |
Commentary Conducive To Books Faserland
Kracht's debut is a cult classic that can be read as a novel about a road trip, a piece of decadence literature, as pop literature, as a study about the repercussions of German history or as social criticism. We are accompanying an unnamed first-person narrator on his journey through Germany, starting with an infamous first scene on the island of Sylt that opens with one the most recognizable sentences in postmodern German literature. The young narrator was born into a wealthy family, but is limited in his emotions and lacking direction. He seems to be driven by the urge to evoke inner movemement through his outward travels, trying to connect with old friends he meets and new acquaintances he makes, thus struggling to overcome his emptiness and alienation. Even to him, his soul seems to be an enigma, he is self-medicating with alcohol and drugs, and his stomach (a part of the body where we generally locate feelings) is constantly upset.The narrator's voice is very disctinct, he is frequently searching for the right words and tries very hard to verbally convey his experiences and emotions, but often fails: He cannot make sense of what he feels, and he cannot put the world into a coherent narrative. There have been many attempts to interpret this aspect of the text (Kracht himself would never explain his books): Does the narrator reflect the decadence of the rich? The alienation of postmodern youth? Does the text reflect Adorno's statement that it's barbaric to write a poem after Auschwitz? Or is the narrator Kracht's alter ego? (The author was born into a rich and influential family and attended the same boarding school as the narrator: Salem, Germany's equivalent to Eton.)
Full disclosure: Kracht is one my favorite authors ever, and I also enjoy his extensive travel writing. His debut is certainly not his best book, but it is still a very, very good book if you have the guts to confront a challenging narrator.
Rating Regarding Books Faserland
Ratings: 3.61 From 2529 Users | 106 ReviewsCrit Regarding Books Faserland
3,5*The best description I can think of is: the 1st-person narrative of a very lonely person portraying his very lonely friends. A very interesting book.
Heute kann man die Fenster natürlich nicht mehr aufmachen, da im ICE, dessen Einrichtung ganz grauenvoll ist und mich immer an irgendwelche Einkaufspassagen erinnert, gar nichts mehr schön ist und erst recht gar nichts mehr so wie früher. Heute ist alles so transparent, ich weiß nicht, ob ich mich da richtig ausdrücke, jedenfalls ist alles aus Glas und aus so durchsichtigem türkisen Plastik, und es ist irgendwie körperlich unerträglich geworden.Rough translation:Of course nowadays you can't open
This was one of the most frustrating reads in a long time. It's so postmodern it's a bit sickening. You can just imagine the Lyotardian analyses of Faserland... Which would be okay if there was the least bit of contextualisation, but instead it's just an endless parade of judgmental, masturbatory and whiny observations, which, because it's written as the first-person narrative of this protagonist who is basically the culmination of every smugly complacent boy & man I have ever been bored by,
Not as good as his novel "Imperium", Faserland was a very good debut and showed Christian Kracht's skills already in great length.
I had to read this book for one of my German literature classes. I think this is the type of book you should read in just one sitting, which unfortunately I wasn't able to, but I still thouroughly enjoyed it. It felt like a time travel to mid-90s Germany. This is not the type of book that will make you feel good, but it is very raw, cynical and cleverly written and a pretty quick read.
I've never loved a book as much as I love this one. Fast, graphic, authentic. It fits into our modern way of living and honestly, I found myself perfectly relating to what the protagonist was saying. For me, this book is premium pop literature.
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