The God of Impertinence [Paperback]

Sten Nadolny (Author), Breon Mitchell (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

The ancient gods are still among us! After 2,187 years in chains, Hermes--the fun-loving god of stolen kisses, erotic freedom, turmoil, and thievery--is freed. He soon sets out to resurrect the long-forgotten virtues of curiosity, imagination, humor. . .and mischief. Finding the modern age strange and confusing, Hermes catches up with the cultural changes of the last two millenniums by tapping the minds of everyone from graffiti artists to brain specialists. He soon learns that disempowered Zeus has retired to play golf in Missouri and that Hephaestus, the neurotic and cranky god of volcanoes, is plotting the demise of gods and mankind alike. Hermes needs all the impertinence and roguery he can muster for the game of divine poker that will decide the fate of the world, in this swift and amusing fable for the end of the millennium.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The god in question is Hermes, Greek divinity of impudence and debauchery, who is released from a volcano prison after a 2000-year stay only to encounter a world obsessed with technology and reeling toward destruction. Most of the gods have grown apathetic; Zeus golfs to pass the time, and Apollo reads newspapers all day. Hephaestus, god of fire and the forge, has assumed the duties of overseer, but his cold, clinical mind has doomed the world to a soulless existence. Along with the fire god's daughter Helle, Hermes attempts to save the world from itself?or at least liven it up a bit. German author Nadolny, whose The Discovery of Slowness (LJ 9/15/87), has been translated into 14 languages, endows these mighty gods with recognizable human traits and observes Hermes' bewilderment at how far mere mortals have been allowed to sink; therein lies the humor. The novel is a rare blend?thoughtful, learned, and amusing in equal doses?but you won't need a mythology background to enjoy it. Recommended for public and academic collections.?Marc A. Kloszewski, Indiana Free Lib., Indiana, Pa.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Nadolny is a practiced and sophisticated fiction writer. His skill becomes evident when the reader realizes that he has constructed a compelling novel with the most preposterous plot. The author's basic premise is that the pantheon of pre-Christian gods has been living on earth for the past 2,000 years. Zeus has backed out of his responsibilities as head god, while Hephaestus, through his judicious encouragement of technology, now rules the world. As the novel begins, Hermes has been released from more than 2,000 years of captivity and is catching up with the cultural changes in the modern world. He hopes thereby to save humanity (and himself) from the terminal plans of Hephaestus. This compellingly written novel is also a political satire, with an unfortunate lack of subtlety in the satirical elements. There are some very funny scenes and details. Although it is not entirely successful as fiction, there are definitely readers for this book; it will have an audience among readers of literary fiction and those who enjoy European fiction. Ellen Loughran --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140254528
• ISBN-13: 978-0140254525
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,821,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, August 12, 2008

By 

Samantha Lambert "collector of books" (Binghamton, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The God of Impertinence (Paperback)

Sten Nadolny tells a humorous and informative story about Hermes, God of Mischief. It was wonderfully written and I couldnt put it down. Recommended for anyone interested in gods and mythology in a present day setting. Or for anyone who just loves a good story!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars General plot confusion, albeit a wonderful idea, February 18, 2003

By 

Glen Engel Cox (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: God of Impertinence (Hardcover)

Comic stories about gods walking among present day mortals are nothing new. The classic is Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," but there are several exemplary twentieth century works, including my personal favorite, Thorne Smith's The Night Life of the Gods, and some of Tom Holt's recent fantasies. And it is easy to understand why the combination is popular--the author gets to comment on the foibles of mortality from an omniscient viewpoint without having to worry about going through any middleman.

The god of the title is Hermes (or Mercury if you prefer Romanization), who has been chained to a rock in the Aegean Sea by Zeus because of his disrespect. Zeus, being somewhat less intelligent than powerful, promptly forgets about him for a few thousand years. The novel opens with him obtaining his freedom by natural processes (a volcano) and being observed by Helga, a passenger on a passing cruise ship.

Great opening, but for some reason it never seems to rise above it, and constantly disappoints. Maybe it is a factor of the translation that the story seems to shift around. I could never tell if Helga was aware of Hermes' divinity or if she was an immortal herself. Some of the social commentary comes through, but never enough to break through the plot confusion.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hermes Unbound, October 15, 2001

By 

Paul Moore (Running Springs, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: God of Impertinence (Hardcover)

The Greek god Hermes suddenly is released from his 2000 year imprisonment in a volcano. Only a seemingly innocent tourist from East germany sees his escape. However, the tourist, Helga, is actually Helle, the girl who fell from the Golden Ram into the Hellespont.

Hermes is now in the 20th Century and has a larger world to cover than that of ancient Greece. He also needs to discover why Hephaestus released him. In seemingly directionless wandering throughout Europe (but not to Athens which is forbidden to him), and by incredible means, Hermes discovers that Hephaestus has increased his knowledge of manufacturing and technology to the point that he now is the most powerful god.

It takes time and some amazing coincidences for Hermes to discover what Hephaestus's plan for the world is. During his travels, Hermes meets many ancient gods and spirits who still exist but are almost impotent because man barely remembers them. Hephaestus has set up a new but powerless god on the cross to distract people from the true source of power.

Nadolny has given brief reminders of who some of the gods were and how they changed over time. The Hermes of the ancient Greeks is certainly a god of impertinence, though he did have some serious responsibilities layered onto him as the myths changed. In Nadolny's book, Hermes is somewhat irreverent, but more he acts like a cynical secret agent who feels he is the only one who can save the world from a mad megalomaniac.

There are entertaining episodes, and some very thin discussion of the role of gods in human life. But, all in all, the plot is contrived and implausible. Whenever there is an opening to develop a character or situation or to investigate a profound question, Nadolny backs away from it.