Enchanters and Diamonds

Thursday evening, writer in residence Clemens Berger took the time to read from his latest novel, "Das Streichelinstitut (the caress institute). He presented various parts of the book that explained how things led to the birth of this peculiar institute, but then mercilessly left his audience in the dark as to what will happen to it and the highly likeable protagonist.

"The story", he says, "is mostly about a man who becomes a homo oeconomicus and believes he has this process under control, which of course he doesn't."

He also gives an outlook on a play of his called "Engel der Armen", angel of the poor, that will be enacted in Darmstadt this fall. Once again we have slightly lopsided service provider, this time a discount undertaker that talks to a diamond on his lapel that is made of his mothers worldly remains. Asked why he likes those kind of bizarre characters, he defends them, saying they are simply "symptoms of our times that seem bizarre, but are in fact very normal." And it's fun to think up a character like that, he adds.

As the audience left the Künstlerhaus, it was audible left and right they were still back in the room, discussing what they had heard, some also hurrying home to read their newly purchased books, provided by Rupertus Buchhandlung that was cleverly present at the reading. And who knows, some of them might even be considering a trip to Darmstadt in the fall. I for one will, once I figure out where exactly it is. mp