On Love and Death [Paperback]

Patrick Suskind (Author), Anthea Bell (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2006

In ON LOVE AND DEATH, Patrick Suskind reveals the hidden source of his mesmerizing fiction: an obsession with the darkly erotic link between love and death. In this witty and thought-provoking meditation on the two elemental forces of human existence, he brilliantly draws on scenes as contemporary as a young couple having oral sex in a traffic jam, as literary as Thomas Mann's discovery of forbidden love at an advanced age, and as mythical as the stories of death conquered through love in the narratives of Orpheus and Jesus.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Patrick Suskind was catapulted to international fame in 1985 with the publication of Perfume, which went on to top bestseller lists around the globe and is now a major film from DreamWorks Pictures starring Ben Whishaw, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood and Dustin Hoffman. Suskind has received great acclaim for all his subsequent writing and remains a notoriously private person, living close to Munich in the town where he was born.

About the Author

Anthea Bell is the acclaimed translator of many works, including Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald, for which she won the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator's Prize from the Goethe Institute.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Overlook / Rookery Trade Paperback (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158567950X
• ISBN-13: 978-1585679508
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > German
  • #48 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > European
  • #92 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > German

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another great Suskind book..., March 7, 2007

By 

Emmawasabi "emmawasabi" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On Love and Death (Paperback)

I am a great fan of Suskind's work, ever since I read "Perfume" and afterwards, after I read "The Pigeon", there is something compelling about his style; it's equal parts dark and illuminating, it showcases human emotion and makes a point of engaging all your senses into the reading experience.

I am sometimes reminded of Kafka's "Metamorphosis" when I've read Suskind, and in this particular case, he makes an interesting, and very personal analysis of the concepts of Love and Death and how they are inevitably intertwined in the human experience. His thoughts on these subjects and the examples he puts forth are sometimes raw, but they are a reflection of exactly how visceral these are in the first place.

I picked this book up in NY, and as the previous reviewer stated, it would make a great subway book since it's short and small enough to fit into a coat pocket, however, I found it so engrossing that if I had indeed been reading it in the subway, I would've surely missed my stop. I suggest you take your time with it, because even though it's a very short read, it packs a lot into its pages and it's worth re-reading certain passages to try to fully get the gist of what he's getting at.

Some people might find his references to Jesus offensive, but I suggest you try to look past it (as I did) and take the book for the angle it presents on two ideas that are ever-present in our lives and probably beyond that.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great way to experience a new author, December 9, 2006

By 

M. Harrison (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On Love and Death (Paperback)

"On Love and Death" is a compelling and stimulating read, the kind of book that takes you back to your best philosophy class in college taught by your favorite professor. With luck it will signal the start of a series of essays like this: short books--this one just 76 pages--that assure you that no matter how busy you are, you do have time to read it. (If I lived in New York, this would be my subway book.) The single-essay-as-book format is also an excellent way to become acquainted with an author you may not have read before. I confess, I wasn't familiar with Patrick Suskind, but after "On Love and Death," I'll make it a point to read his other work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short but powerful book, June 26, 2010

By 

Kortick (Providence, RI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: On Love and Death (Paperback)

This book is like Suskinds other works, deep with meanings and charecter. This book is very small, both in page numbers and size, think of a greeting card and you will be able to picture the actual size of the book. But it focuses on the authors views of Love and Death. He states some of his opinions then a story follows it. I am a fan of his work, so my review of this book is admittedly biased, but none the less it is a moving read.