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De erfenis van Maître Mussard
The "Bloomsbury Birthday Quids" are small editions of short stories by major writers, in a format and style of the "Bloomsbury Classics". Printed on high-quality paper, designed by Jeff Fisher, the books should become collectors' items. This title is "Maitre Mussard's Bequest" by Patrick Suskind.
89 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
216 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Süskind
22 books4,179 followersFrom 1968-1974 he studied medieval and modern history in Munich and Aix-en-Provence. In the '80s he worked as a screenwriter, for Kir Royal and Monaco Franze among others.
After spending the 1970s writing what he has characterized as “short unpublished prose pieces and longer un-produced screenplays”, Patrick Süskind was catapulted to fame in the 1980s by the monodrama Der Kontrabass (The Double Bass, 1981), which became an instant success and a favourite of the German stage. In 1985 his status as literary wunderkind was confirmed with the publication of the novel Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer), which quickly topped the European best-seller list and eventually sold millions of copies worldwide.
After spending the 1970s writing what he has characterized as “short unpublished prose pieces and longer un-produced screenplays”, Patrick Süskind was catapulted to fame in the 1980s by the monodrama Der Kontrabass (The Double Bass, 1981), which became an instant success and a favourite of the German stage. In 1985 his status as literary wunderkind was confirmed with the publication of the novel Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer), which quickly topped the European best-seller list and eventually sold millions of copies worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 29, 2025
Ich hab es als Hörbuch gehört, wieder wunderbar gelesen vom leider schon verstorbenen Hans Korte.
Und ich kann mich der Warnung am Anfang des Buches anschließen: Man solle nicht weiter hören...., wenn man selbst schon versteinert ist, denn dann wird man diese Geschichte auch nicht zu schätzen wissen.
Und ich kann mich der Warnung am Anfang des Buches anschließen: Man solle nicht weiter hören...., wenn man selbst schon versteinert ist, denn dann wird man diese Geschichte auch nicht zu schätzen wissen.
November 6, 2018
A bizarre story. If you have 30 minutes or less a thought provoking short story. An old Paris jeweler in retirement comes up with an interesting conspiracy theory which shall entertain you.
August 24, 2017
We find it all too easy to discredit conspiracy theorists. Either their leaps of logic are too wide for us to follow or the connections they make are too bizarre and unexpected to fit into our world view.
Suskind plays with and develops this idea in Maitre Mussard's Bequest. In this very short read, 30 minutes from start to finish, Suskind offers, without comment, the final words of Mussard who knows and is trying to communicate the truth to his readers, that there is a giant, intelligent shell that governs the fate of our doomed world. Whenever he digs a hole he finds shells, thus logically, there are shells beneath the surface of every square foot of our world and these shells are drying out our world until it become barren desert and so with our bodies. Eventually, quite soon in the imagination of Mussard, the world will be swallowed and crushed by this shell overlord.
It's an intelligent, weird and thought provoking piece of writing. One to grab if you're 30 minutes too early for an appointment. It will make you smile if nothing else.
Suskind plays with and develops this idea in Maitre Mussard's Bequest. In this very short read, 30 minutes from start to finish, Suskind offers, without comment, the final words of Mussard who knows and is trying to communicate the truth to his readers, that there is a giant, intelligent shell that governs the fate of our doomed world. Whenever he digs a hole he finds shells, thus logically, there are shells beneath the surface of every square foot of our world and these shells are drying out our world until it become barren desert and so with our bodies. Eventually, quite soon in the imagination of Mussard, the world will be swallowed and crushed by this shell overlord.
It's an intelligent, weird and thought provoking piece of writing. One to grab if you're 30 minutes too early for an appointment. It will make you smile if nothing else.
August 22, 2019
This is just a ridiculously crazy and wonderful short novella from Bloomsbury Quids. Why are Suskind's books, other than Perfume, so hard to find in English translation?
March 2, 2021
Weird little book. Not sure what to make of it.
May 14, 2014
Nette allegorische Erzählung über das Ende eines Lebens. Wer gerne zwischen den Zeilen liest, kommt hier auf seine Kosten. Wer weitere Gründe braucht, um sich diese sehr kurze Erzählung zu Gemüte zu führen, dem sei gesagt, dass es Süskind ist, wie nur Süskind sein kann.
May 22, 2025
I read this over breakfast two days ago, as I didn't want to be sucked into a novel and get nothing done all day. It was a perfect!
The protagonist/diarist/narrator is a product of his time, born in the 17th and deceased in the 18th century. I found it intriguing to see the diarist using systematic research, inner vision and reasoning to arrive at his obviously(?) completely(?) wrong(?) conclusion.
But here's the thing: how do "we" KNOW there is no such thing as a super-size shell being that wants to turn the world into a dead thing composed of shell substance? And no, this isn't a spoiler: this conclusion by the protagonist is stated right at the start of the book. The joy of reading this story is in the gradual unveiling of the mental meanderings that led to his conclusion.
The protagonist's assertion seems crazy to "us" as, nowadays, plate tectonics explain the existence of ancient shells on mountain tops. But when I read up on plate tectonics right after reading this Süskind story, I was mildly alarmed to see the variety of theories used to explain the movement of land masses: is it thinkable that the whole overall theory of continental drift might be overturned? If it is, I hope it'll be on sound scientific principles!
Here's the question then: How do *we* protect ourselves from drawing the wrong conclusions from our inner and outer observations and reasoning? How reliable is the knowledge we take for granted? How dare we call this man "mad" for using his homo sapiens brain in not such a different way from the way we use ours?
So, this well-written, deceptively small book packs in some big questions: lots of food for thought, right after my breakfast. Yum!
The protagonist/diarist/narrator is a product of his time, born in the 17th and deceased in the 18th century. I found it intriguing to see the diarist using systematic research, inner vision and reasoning to arrive at his obviously(?) completely(?) wrong(?) conclusion.
But here's the thing: how do "we" KNOW there is no such thing as a super-size shell being that wants to turn the world into a dead thing composed of shell substance? And no, this isn't a spoiler: this conclusion by the protagonist is stated right at the start of the book. The joy of reading this story is in the gradual unveiling of the mental meanderings that led to his conclusion.
The protagonist's assertion seems crazy to "us" as, nowadays, plate tectonics explain the existence of ancient shells on mountain tops. But when I read up on plate tectonics right after reading this Süskind story, I was mildly alarmed to see the variety of theories used to explain the movement of land masses: is it thinkable that the whole overall theory of continental drift might be overturned? If it is, I hope it'll be on sound scientific principles!
Here's the question then: How do *we* protect ourselves from drawing the wrong conclusions from our inner and outer observations and reasoning? How reliable is the knowledge we take for granted? How dare we call this man "mad" for using his homo sapiens brain in not such a different way from the way we use ours?
So, this well-written, deceptively small book packs in some big questions: lots of food for thought, right after my breakfast. Yum!
January 28, 2023
[Maitre Mussard's Bequest - Patrick Suskind → ☆☆☆☆.25]
Suskind ha proprio un dono. In 50 pagine è riuscito a sintetizzare la vita di un uomo, un lascito indirizzato al futuro lettore e una tesi a metà tra l'esistenzialismo e la chimica.
Un uomo ormai nei suoi ultimi mesi di vita scrive un testamento in cui lascia in eredità ai suoi lettori una scoperta maturata in anni di ricerca: il fenomeno di pietrificazione, o meglio di 'conchilizzazione'.
Secondo Mussard il graduale irrigidimento delle articolazioni umane è causato dalle conchiglie e il fenomeno non colpisce solamente l'uomo ma si estende a tutto l'universo. Le conchiglie col passare del tempo diventano così padrone di tutto ciò che è fisico e gradualmente assumono una dimensione sempre più vicina al divino.
Prosa come sempre cristallina e mai una parola di troppo. Mi spiace solo di aver quasi concluso il recupero delle sue opere.
Suskind ha proprio un dono. In 50 pagine è riuscito a sintetizzare la vita di un uomo, un lascito indirizzato al futuro lettore e una tesi a metà tra l'esistenzialismo e la chimica.
Un uomo ormai nei suoi ultimi mesi di vita scrive un testamento in cui lascia in eredità ai suoi lettori una scoperta maturata in anni di ricerca: il fenomeno di pietrificazione, o meglio di 'conchilizzazione'.
Secondo Mussard il graduale irrigidimento delle articolazioni umane è causato dalle conchiglie e il fenomeno non colpisce solamente l'uomo ma si estende a tutto l'universo. Le conchiglie col passare del tempo diventano così padrone di tutto ciò che è fisico e gradualmente assumono una dimensione sempre più vicina al divino.
Prosa come sempre cristallina e mai una parola di troppo. Mi spiace solo di aver quasi concluso il recupero delle sue opere.
December 20, 2025
[Bloomsbury Publishing PLC] (1996). First Printing. SB. 49 Pages. Purchased from Brit Books Ltd.
Written in 1975. Originally published as “Das Vermächtnis des Maitre Mussard” in “Neu Deutsche Hefte” No. 149 (1976).
A bizarre, bleak theory of global lapidification.
The denouement has a comical, ‘l-shaped’ aspect… which is possibly unintentional…
Written in 1975. Originally published as “Das Vermächtnis des Maitre Mussard” in “Neu Deutsche Hefte” No. 149 (1976).
A bizarre, bleak theory of global lapidification.
The denouement has a comical, ‘l-shaped’ aspect… which is possibly unintentional…
November 6, 2018
Most interesting view on life, explained in 49 pages...
April 25, 2019
My eyes have been opened!
March 27, 2020
Quick and funny read, perhaps worth of an evaluation of our beliefs...
December 27, 2020
Bleak, but fantastic little story. A new way of looking at life on earth and inevitable death, with touches of humour throughout.
June 25, 2022
3.5. Curious little book. Thought provoking and weird.
October 21, 2023
Can see why I found this in a charity shop.
Read
March 1, 2025being this guys friend must have been crazy
April 30, 2025
I read an English translation by Irving Wardle. Could not find my exact book on GR. This is as close as I could get to it.
August 8, 2022
Coming back to this story two years later, it's still as good as ever.
Without going into spoilers, this is essentially a story of a rational man succumbing to the limits of his rationality as the world, uncaring for any petty trifles with "reason", is stumbled into by the man and irrationality creeps into the holes left by reason's inability to explain.
The most I'll say about the story is this. It is the descent of a man's journey into death as he comes to the conclusion that the entire world is slowly turning into stone.
If you can find this short story anywhere, take it. Preferably finish it in one sitting, at 2 AM when highly caffeinated to attune your paranoia and hysteria with his.
Without going into spoilers, this is essentially a story of a rational man succumbing to the limits of his rationality as the world, uncaring for any petty trifles with "reason", is stumbled into by the man and irrationality creeps into the holes left by reason's inability to explain.
The most I'll say about the story is this. It is the descent of a man's journey into death as he comes to the conclusion that the entire world is slowly turning into stone.
If you can find this short story anywhere, take it. Preferably finish it in one sitting, at 2 AM when highly caffeinated to attune your paranoia and hysteria with his.
October 11, 2012
irgendwas mit Muscheln...
February 5, 2014
This is kind of Kafka-esque but it is very bleak. I read it in an airport and on the plane on the way to London and was quite depressed afterwards.
July 12, 2015
It's simply delightful to watch the protagonist sink further and further into madness.
June 26, 2016
Thrillingly bleak.
Read
November 14, 2016weer heel goed geschreven daardoor heel vlot gelezen, je zit altijd direct in het verhaal!
August 14, 2025
3 / 5 Stars
// Decent
// Decent
April 5, 2013
Pure delight. Our author delights in obsessive individuals, and this short tale is no different.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews