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Der gute König
Ein Gewerbegebiet am Rande Frankfurts, die Villengrundstücke des Taunus zum Greifen nah: Hier arbeitet Fansi im Klempnerbetrieb von Hieronymus Bosch, der seine besten Zeiten hinter sich hat. Ein paar Hallen weiter lockt mit der Perugino AG ein metallverarbeitendes Unternehmen, dessen Mitarbeiter im Auftrag von Jeff Koons unter vollem körperlichen Einsatz denkwürdige Objekte erschaffen - Kunst, deren Weg in die Museen der Welt und die Lichthöfe der Reichen vorprogrammiert ist. Auch Fansi erliegt dem Reiz des Glanzes und begibt sich auf abenteuerliche Montagereise nach Paris. Leonhard Hieronymi entführt uns in eine aberwitzige Welt zwischen poliertem Edelstahl und Silikonfugen und stellt die Frage, wessen Arbeit wirklich zählt.
203 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 2, 2023
56 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 8, 2023
When was the last time you read a book with a protagonist who was a craftsman in the German suburbs? Exactly. Hieronymi writes pop literature about classism, but as opposed to his (and my) hero Christian Kracht, he takes the working class perspective - enter Fansi, a young man who quits his jobs installing bathrooms to go back to his old profession: Joining his best friend Bashkim, they work as welders, but not in any workshop, no: They build and assemble the works of Jeff Koons (which are really built near Frankfurt: https://www.arnold.de/de/art#referenzen), in this case the controversial 66 t flower bouquet in honor of the victims of the terror attacks in Paris (also a real work of art: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cul...).
Academics vs. craftsmen, capital vs. art vs. crafts, dignity vs. exploitation: The book oscillates between satire and social criticism and always remains entertaining. The way Hieronymi plays his topics sometimes reminded me of The Map and the Territory, one of my favorite books ever, in which protagonist Jed Martin gets accepted into art school with picture of iron tools (mechanics / craft / art: Where is the line?) and later creates a series of paintings about "easy jobs", one of them called "Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst divide the art market among themselves", with author Houellebecq also referring to the way these guys produce and sell art as über-expensive commodities and tools for distinction to be consumed by the wealthy.
Hieronymi's protagonist Fansi changes jobs from the workshop named "Hieronymus Bosch" (yup, there's also a reference of Bosch's painting "Ship of Fools") because his old master (ha!) is a defeated alcoholic, and goes to the Koons factory, pondering his role in the art circus. The friendship between him and Bashkim is beautifully rendered, as is his dysfunctional relationship with Kira, a medicine student.
And while you could certainly complain that the whole thing tends to dwell on the placative (like, you know, Jeff Koons), I still applaud Hieronymi for tackling this topic that is so relevant in the real world, yet so underrepresented in literature - I was intrigued, and I hope the book will get him some attention.
Academics vs. craftsmen, capital vs. art vs. crafts, dignity vs. exploitation: The book oscillates between satire and social criticism and always remains entertaining. The way Hieronymi plays his topics sometimes reminded me of The Map and the Territory, one of my favorite books ever, in which protagonist Jed Martin gets accepted into art school with picture of iron tools (mechanics / craft / art: Where is the line?) and later creates a series of paintings about "easy jobs", one of them called "Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst divide the art market among themselves", with author Houellebecq also referring to the way these guys produce and sell art as über-expensive commodities and tools for distinction to be consumed by the wealthy.
Hieronymi's protagonist Fansi changes jobs from the workshop named "Hieronymus Bosch" (yup, there's also a reference of Bosch's painting "Ship of Fools") because his old master (ha!) is a defeated alcoholic, and goes to the Koons factory, pondering his role in the art circus. The friendship between him and Bashkim is beautifully rendered, as is his dysfunctional relationship with Kira, a medicine student.
And while you could certainly complain that the whole thing tends to dwell on the placative (like, you know, Jeff Koons), I still applaud Hieronymi for tackling this topic that is so relevant in the real world, yet so underrepresented in literature - I was intrigued, and I hope the book will get him some attention.
September 11, 2023
This book started strong and has a great premise, examining the world of the skilled labourer or craftsman from the inside, namely from the perspective of Fansi, who works for a failing plumber and alcoholic known only as "the Boss". This gig is a second chance for Fansi, who previously worked as a polisher for a specialst metalwork shop that specializes in making artworks for rich, good-for-nothing artists, such as Jeff Koons.
The book starts very strong and a hilariously sketched "Handwerkerfrühschoppen" (craftsman's early pint literally but actually a quite shockingly debauched daytime piss-up that ends with the burning of a witch). The Boss gets very drunk, drives off at the end and is promptly arrested by the local cops who take a dim view of his one word explanation for why he was behind the wheel. THIRST, he writes.
All good, absurd stuff, but as the novel progresses it loses its way, the absurdity occluded by sometimes less-than-impressive little treatises on the dignity of labour and the importance of craft. And when Fansi decides to accompany his friend Bashkim to Paris to help install the latest Jeff Koons monstrosity in the City of Love, the shiny surfaces and the polish they impart to the hideous "inflatable" tulips weighing 60 tonnes also reflects the blank and floataway CGI nature of the story.
Which isn't to say that the book is lacking in big themes, whether it be the question of what is art and the value of labour, or the desecration and arrogance inflicted on people by the thoughtless wealthy, as with Koons's gift to Paris, which is meant to memorialise the victims of the 13 November but ends up insulting them.
I made it through to the end and there were a few moments of fun on the way but I have to admit that when I was finished I opened "The Map and the Territory" by Michel Houellebecq and even in translation the difference was immediately apparent. Houellebecq's words are astringent, stinging, hilarious. In contrast Hieronymi's are quite good but they lack teeth and float away, like the baloon dog that graces the novel's cover.
The book starts very strong and a hilariously sketched "Handwerkerfrühschoppen" (craftsman's early pint literally but actually a quite shockingly debauched daytime piss-up that ends with the burning of a witch). The Boss gets very drunk, drives off at the end and is promptly arrested by the local cops who take a dim view of his one word explanation for why he was behind the wheel. THIRST, he writes.
All good, absurd stuff, but as the novel progresses it loses its way, the absurdity occluded by sometimes less-than-impressive little treatises on the dignity of labour and the importance of craft. And when Fansi decides to accompany his friend Bashkim to Paris to help install the latest Jeff Koons monstrosity in the City of Love, the shiny surfaces and the polish they impart to the hideous "inflatable" tulips weighing 60 tonnes also reflects the blank and floataway CGI nature of the story.
Which isn't to say that the book is lacking in big themes, whether it be the question of what is art and the value of labour, or the desecration and arrogance inflicted on people by the thoughtless wealthy, as with Koons's gift to Paris, which is meant to memorialise the victims of the 13 November but ends up insulting them.
I made it through to the end and there were a few moments of fun on the way but I have to admit that when I was finished I opened "The Map and the Territory" by Michel Houellebecq and even in translation the difference was immediately apparent. Houellebecq's words are astringent, stinging, hilarious. In contrast Hieronymi's are quite good but they lack teeth and float away, like the baloon dog that graces the novel's cover.
November 22, 2023
Frankfurt, Industriegebiet: Hier arbeitet Fansi im Klempnerbetrieb von Hieronymus Bosch. Gut läuft es schon lange nicht mehr, Tage ohne einen einzigen Kunden sind keine Seltenheit. Ein paar Hallen weiter arbeitet Fansis Freund Bashkim und schraubt Kunstwerke für Jeff Koons zusammen – Objekte ohne ersichtlichen Nutzen, von Arbeitern hergestellt, um in die Lichthöfe der Reichen einzuziehen. Und auch Fansi erliegt dem Glanz des Kunstbetriebs …
«Der gute König» ist ein Buch der Gegensätze. Es verhandelt Kunst und Kapitalismus, Akademiker und Arbeiterklasse; die Welten prallen auf zugleich sozialkritische und humoristische Weise aufeinander. Gipfel der Absurdität bildet ein Strauss aufgeblasener Tulpen, die Jeff Koons der Stadt Paris in Gedenken an den Terroranschlag auf Charlie Hebdo schenkt. Ein Buch mit Biss – ohne zynisch zu werden.
Zur Monatskolumne September
«Der gute König» ist ein Buch der Gegensätze. Es verhandelt Kunst und Kapitalismus, Akademiker und Arbeiterklasse; die Welten prallen auf zugleich sozialkritische und humoristische Weise aufeinander. Gipfel der Absurdität bildet ein Strauss aufgeblasener Tulpen, die Jeff Koons der Stadt Paris in Gedenken an den Terroranschlag auf Charlie Hebdo schenkt. Ein Buch mit Biss – ohne zynisch zu werden.
Zur Monatskolumne September
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews