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Kafka und der Tote am Seil
Kafka, Franz Kafka.
Was wäre, wenn Franz Kafka nicht mit 40 Jahren an Tuberkulose verstorben wäre? Wenn er stattdessen am Tag nach seinem vermeintlichen Tod die Augen aufgeschlagen und sich an seinem Krankenbett eine ungewöhnlich große, ungewöhnlich eloquente Kakerlake als Pflegekraft befunden hätte? Die ihm noch dazu ungewöhnlich bekannt vorkäme? Schon bald werden Kafka und Gregor Samsa von einer geheimnisvollen Agentur als Privatermittler engagiert, denn im Wien des Jahres 1924 kommt es zu einer ebenso mysteriösen wie bizarren Mordserie – und des Rätsels Lösung ist absurder als alles, was Kafka sich jemals selbst hätte ausdenken können ...
Was wäre, wenn Franz Kafka nicht mit 40 Jahren an Tuberkulose verstorben wäre? Wenn er stattdessen am Tag nach seinem vermeintlichen Tod die Augen aufgeschlagen und sich an seinem Krankenbett eine ungewöhnlich große, ungewöhnlich eloquente Kakerlake als Pflegekraft befunden hätte? Die ihm noch dazu ungewöhnlich bekannt vorkäme? Schon bald werden Kafka und Gregor Samsa von einer geheimnisvollen Agentur als Privatermittler engagiert, denn im Wien des Jahres 1924 kommt es zu einer ebenso mysteriösen wie bizarren Mordserie – und des Rätsels Lösung ist absurder als alles, was Kafka sich jemals selbst hätte ausdenken können ...
433 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2019
28 people are currently reading
409 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
June 8, 2019
The Hanging Artist is my type of book. With Haruki Murakami being my favourite writer I adore surrealist fiction, however, we rarely get a decent, incandescent idea. Steinhagen pays homage to Kafka and his most celebrated work, The Metamorphosis by putting him in the role of a private investigator who is ably assisted by giant cockroach, Gregor, from the aforementioned book. It's a character-driven novel but that's not to say that the plot is weak or unengaging; in actual fact, the plot is intelligent, original and incredibly compelling, at least to me, and centres around the supernatural.
It's well written with buckets of suspense and a truly unique and unforgettable cast. It's incredibly quirky, Kafkaesque and has some thoroughly fun and entertaining passages to it. Those who haven't read Kafka will still find this accessible, but I loved the references to him and his works throughout for fans to pick up on. From the first page, I was immersed in the world and it became so engaging I read through the entirety of it in a few short hours. The conclusion was actually quite poignant and thought-provoking, the best kind, about life and its unpredictability with a profound message about treasuring the moments we have together.
This is absurdist fiction at its finest, and I certainly hope it is the first in a series. Many thanks to Abaddon Books for an ARC.
It's well written with buckets of suspense and a truly unique and unforgettable cast. It's incredibly quirky, Kafkaesque and has some thoroughly fun and entertaining passages to it. Those who haven't read Kafka will still find this accessible, but I loved the references to him and his works throughout for fans to pick up on. From the first page, I was immersed in the world and it became so engaging I read through the entirety of it in a few short hours. The conclusion was actually quite poignant and thought-provoking, the best kind, about life and its unpredictability with a profound message about treasuring the moments we have together.
This is absurdist fiction at its finest, and I certainly hope it is the first in a series. Many thanks to Abaddon Books for an ARC.
Read
June 7, 2019Sometimes books make you sad because of the plot. Sometimes because this was the perfect damn concept and why didn't you hear of it ahead of time so you could review it on NPR? Alas, I did not know this novel existed until the day it was out so I'm reviewing it here and not there, which is really a pity since it deserves a wider audience.
The Hanging Artist is a simple, old-fashioned tale: What if Kafka became a detective with a giant insect as his partner, and went on to investigate a series of murders? Did I say simple, old-fashioned? No. I meant surreal and whoa Nelly, did I just read that blurb right? Yup. I did.
But you can have a fun concept (and in this case a bizarre one) and fail in other areas. That's not the case here. The author has some wonderful descriptions and the story hums along at a good pace. It's also wryly funny, at times.
If God was good, odd books like this would find a devoted audience. God, alas, often seems to be absent from the careers of writers who like to colour outside the lines. So I recommend you scoop this one up and make some 'buzz' about it, pun totally intended.
The Hanging Artist is a simple, old-fashioned tale: What if Kafka became a detective with a giant insect as his partner, and went on to investigate a series of murders? Did I say simple, old-fashioned? No. I meant surreal and whoa Nelly, did I just read that blurb right? Yup. I did.
But you can have a fun concept (and in this case a bizarre one) and fail in other areas. That's not the case here. The author has some wonderful descriptions and the story hums along at a good pace. It's also wryly funny, at times.
If God was good, odd books like this would find a devoted audience. God, alas, often seems to be absent from the careers of writers who like to colour outside the lines. So I recommend you scoop this one up and make some 'buzz' about it, pun totally intended.
pass
March 27, 2020Absurdist take on Kafka whereby he wakes up alive from the TB that killed him and, with the aid of a giant Harvey-type cockroach called Gregor, sets out to solve a surreal crime. If that sounds brilliant you'll probably love it. Not my thing, as it turns out, but I'm more a plot-driven reader.
Has the weird thing that comes up in multiple books from this publisher where the MC is interchangeably referred to by first or last name, even in consecutive sentences. ("Franz looked around. If there was a dog here, Kafka couldn't see it.") I've seen this in a few other places recently and strongly hope it isn't becoming a thing.
Has the weird thing that comes up in multiple books from this publisher where the MC is interchangeably referred to by first or last name, even in consecutive sentences. ("Franz looked around. If there was a dog here, Kafka couldn't see it.") I've seen this in a few other places recently and strongly hope it isn't becoming a thing.
February 10, 2024
2.5 *
Schwierig. Ich hatte das Gefühl, ich lese Monate an dem Buch. Und zum Teil hat es sich auch sehr gezogen. Es gab Passagen, die ich mochte - alle in denen Gregor vorkam. Diese waren jedoch kaum vorhanden, vor allem vor dem Hintergrund des Klappentextes und des Buchcovers.
Das Ende war wirklich mau und wurde, im Vergleich zur restlichen Geschichte, sehr schnell abgehandelt.
Schwierig. Ich hatte das Gefühl, ich lese Monate an dem Buch. Und zum Teil hat es sich auch sehr gezogen. Es gab Passagen, die ich mochte - alle in denen Gregor vorkam. Diese waren jedoch kaum vorhanden, vor allem vor dem Hintergrund des Klappentextes und des Buchcovers.
Das Ende war wirklich mau und wurde, im Vergleich zur restlichen Geschichte, sehr schnell abgehandelt.
December 10, 2019
First things first. You might love this book even though I didn’t. So don’t be alarmed by the low score I gave it.
The premise to this book is the hook and the reason you’re even considering reading it. What if Kafka didn’t die and instead became a detective with Gregor Samsa(the insect from ‘the Metamorphosis’)? How cool is that? The first two chapters set up things nice and smoothly while being reminiscent of the set ups of other Kafka novels.
However, things got disappointing quite fast for me.
I went into this book expecting a number of things which were then not promptly delivered. This, I felt, harmed the book immensely which is the major reason why I give this book a low score.
1. The dialogue.
Being a huge fan of Kafka I expected the dialogue to be in Kafkas own fashion, long, labyrinthine and almost never to the point and where characters most often end up talking beside each other. This mostly leads to confusion and quite frankly I love it. There’s none of that here. The dialogue might be long in some places but lacks every other characteristic I just mentioned. Most often though the dialogue is quick and, here’s a positive, witty. Kafka was seldom funny except in a very heavy deadpan sort of way which I feel isn’t very well represented here.
2. The plot.
While Gregor Samsa is a selling point of the book he is seldom presents and gets put by the wayside all too often. He, and every other surrealist part of this book isn’t explained either which I feel makes it hard to get a grip on them as characters. Is Samsa real? Is Beide real? Is everything a dream or what? No answers are given which is fine but it’s muddled a bit by the end when some annoyingly vague hints are presented. No spoilers though.
Minor spoiler warning: The plot became supernatural in nature which was a major turning off point for me. Demons and unseen horrors during the 1920’s for me is lovecraftian and not kafkaesque. It also weakened the detective part of the book if Kafka had no real chance of solving the case by himself in a natural sort of way with no real clear cut culprit. Spoilers over.
3. This is not Kafka.
I don’t know who the main character is who is parading around calling himself Franz Kafka because this man isn’t him. Granted I’ve not read a single biography about the man so take this with a bucket of salt. My Max Brod one sits on the shelf gathering dust I’m afraid to say.
Reading the thoughts of this man and following him around Vienna I am not convinced that this man resembles the historical Kafka. He has too few anxieties, he asks too few pertinent questions and the well known figures of his life are seldom mentioned. Dora and his father are mentioned briefly a few times at most and both has a quick and cheap cameo.
Another book which captured the spirit of the character was ‘He is back’, the book where Hitler comes back from the dead and starts commenting on modern society.
The way it’s written oozes Hitler in a fun absolutely horrendous way. One of the best books I’ve read and it gets better the more you know about the terrible dictator and his state of mind.
I kinda wanted this book to be like that. Filled to the brim with treats for us Kafka fans while treating potential new fans to a modern more cool and acceptable Kafka. Instead we get neither and I am terribly disappointed. As I understand the author is a Kafka fan, which I guess one must be if you’re to write a book about somebody, but I must admit that it is not visible in the text. Perhaps I am missing something that you, another reader, might not. Perhaps I went in with the wrong expectations. Perhaps you will enjoy this book immensely.
I however did not.
The premise to this book is the hook and the reason you’re even considering reading it. What if Kafka didn’t die and instead became a detective with Gregor Samsa(the insect from ‘the Metamorphosis’)? How cool is that? The first two chapters set up things nice and smoothly while being reminiscent of the set ups of other Kafka novels.
However, things got disappointing quite fast for me.
I went into this book expecting a number of things which were then not promptly delivered. This, I felt, harmed the book immensely which is the major reason why I give this book a low score.
1. The dialogue.
Being a huge fan of Kafka I expected the dialogue to be in Kafkas own fashion, long, labyrinthine and almost never to the point and where characters most often end up talking beside each other. This mostly leads to confusion and quite frankly I love it. There’s none of that here. The dialogue might be long in some places but lacks every other characteristic I just mentioned. Most often though the dialogue is quick and, here’s a positive, witty. Kafka was seldom funny except in a very heavy deadpan sort of way which I feel isn’t very well represented here.
2. The plot.
While Gregor Samsa is a selling point of the book he is seldom presents and gets put by the wayside all too often. He, and every other surrealist part of this book isn’t explained either which I feel makes it hard to get a grip on them as characters. Is Samsa real? Is Beide real? Is everything a dream or what? No answers are given which is fine but it’s muddled a bit by the end when some annoyingly vague hints are presented. No spoilers though.
Minor spoiler warning: The plot became supernatural in nature which was a major turning off point for me. Demons and unseen horrors during the 1920’s for me is lovecraftian and not kafkaesque. It also weakened the detective part of the book if Kafka had no real chance of solving the case by himself in a natural sort of way with no real clear cut culprit. Spoilers over.
3. This is not Kafka.
I don’t know who the main character is who is parading around calling himself Franz Kafka because this man isn’t him. Granted I’ve not read a single biography about the man so take this with a bucket of salt. My Max Brod one sits on the shelf gathering dust I’m afraid to say.
Reading the thoughts of this man and following him around Vienna I am not convinced that this man resembles the historical Kafka. He has too few anxieties, he asks too few pertinent questions and the well known figures of his life are seldom mentioned. Dora and his father are mentioned briefly a few times at most and both has a quick and cheap cameo.
Another book which captured the spirit of the character was ‘He is back’, the book where Hitler comes back from the dead and starts commenting on modern society.
The way it’s written oozes Hitler in a fun absolutely horrendous way. One of the best books I’ve read and it gets better the more you know about the terrible dictator and his state of mind.
I kinda wanted this book to be like that. Filled to the brim with treats for us Kafka fans while treating potential new fans to a modern more cool and acceptable Kafka. Instead we get neither and I am terribly disappointed. As I understand the author is a Kafka fan, which I guess one must be if you’re to write a book about somebody, but I must admit that it is not visible in the text. Perhaps I am missing something that you, another reader, might not. Perhaps I went in with the wrong expectations. Perhaps you will enjoy this book immensely.
I however did not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 18, 2025
Das witzigste ist das Cover.
Ich hätte alles mögliche erwartet von diesem Roman aber nicht, dass er so langweilig ist. Dürrenmatt hat mich verdorben.
Übrigens, allen Schriftstellern scheint es angelegen zu sein, irgendwann in ihrem Autorenleben ein Buch über das Schreiben zu schreiben.
Normalerweise schreibt Jon Steinhagen Stücke fürs Theater. Sollte es mich da verwundern ein Buch über die Bühne zu lesen?
2,5 Sterne, bei aller Liebe zog es sich doch zu sehr in die Länge. Eine Novelle wäre fein gewesen.
Ich hätte alles mögliche erwartet von diesem Roman aber nicht, dass er so langweilig ist. Dürrenmatt hat mich verdorben.
Übrigens, allen Schriftstellern scheint es angelegen zu sein, irgendwann in ihrem Autorenleben ein Buch über das Schreiben zu schreiben.
Normalerweise schreibt Jon Steinhagen Stücke fürs Theater. Sollte es mich da verwundern ein Buch über die Bühne zu lesen?
2,5 Sterne, bei aller Liebe zog es sich doch zu sehr in die Länge. Eine Novelle wäre fein gewesen.
June 5, 2019
‘Franz Kafka awoke from a dream and assumed that what had felt to be real had also been a dream, but he was mistaken, and he didn’t know how to feel about that.’
A deliciously surreal trip into a truly Kafkaesque world, and I totally was hooked from the first page. The year is 1924 and, on his deathbed with tuberculosis, Franz Kafka awakes the next morning in the sanitorium to find that he is completely healthy. An odd state of affairs indeed, as no doctor or family come in to his room that morning to see how he is doing. Instead, who does appear is a giant insect named Gregor, the incarnation of the central character from Kafka’s most famous work, The Metamorphosis. Struggling to come to terms with this rather bizarre turn of events, Kafka is then visited by a mysterious character called Inspector Beide from an organisation called the ICPC which is investigating a series of murders, 23 victims in total so far. Oh, and Beide has the habit of changing genders, from male to female and back again, at any given moment and totally outwith his/her ability to control it.
The plot is totally surreal; there are moments of wonderful comedy and the exchanges between Kafka and Beide, and between Kafka and the insect, are laugh out loud funny at times. As the plot develops it becomes almost Kafka-meets-Poe as Kafka, having been asked to investigate the deaths, closes in on the truth. But, in terms of what we are reading, what the heck is this thing called ‘truth’? The book is littered with characters, objects, scenes that will just leave your mind boggling: the pair of nuns who keep appearing on a train, one of them eating walnuts; the book Kafka buys in a bookshop entitled ‘How Not to be a Successful Detective’; references to Kafka’s own story A Hunger Artist, which may or may not have some connection to what we are reading… And so it goes on. You don’t really need to have any prior knowledge of Kafka’s works to enjoy this, but some awareness of the general themes and ideas are probably advisable. But then, the main reason for picking this up is because it piqued your interest, right?
Cosy crime novel, or Golden Age crime novel, this is not. Nor is it noir - Scandi, Tartan or any other hue. It just, well, is. Half way through the book Inspector Beide declares:
‘I think we’re on the right track, or at least we’re on a track that could be parallel to the right track. At any rate, we’re on a track, and we’ve learned so much.’
Expect the unexpected, open your mind and just go with the flow. I totally loved this and it left me, with an ending that is actually quite moving, not only thinking about dreams and reality, about the absurdity of life, but also about the moments we should cherish and savour. Unlike anything else I’ve read for a long time, and totally deserving of 5 stars.
A deliciously surreal trip into a truly Kafkaesque world, and I totally was hooked from the first page. The year is 1924 and, on his deathbed with tuberculosis, Franz Kafka awakes the next morning in the sanitorium to find that he is completely healthy. An odd state of affairs indeed, as no doctor or family come in to his room that morning to see how he is doing. Instead, who does appear is a giant insect named Gregor, the incarnation of the central character from Kafka’s most famous work, The Metamorphosis. Struggling to come to terms with this rather bizarre turn of events, Kafka is then visited by a mysterious character called Inspector Beide from an organisation called the ICPC which is investigating a series of murders, 23 victims in total so far. Oh, and Beide has the habit of changing genders, from male to female and back again, at any given moment and totally outwith his/her ability to control it.
The plot is totally surreal; there are moments of wonderful comedy and the exchanges between Kafka and Beide, and between Kafka and the insect, are laugh out loud funny at times. As the plot develops it becomes almost Kafka-meets-Poe as Kafka, having been asked to investigate the deaths, closes in on the truth. But, in terms of what we are reading, what the heck is this thing called ‘truth’? The book is littered with characters, objects, scenes that will just leave your mind boggling: the pair of nuns who keep appearing on a train, one of them eating walnuts; the book Kafka buys in a bookshop entitled ‘How Not to be a Successful Detective’; references to Kafka’s own story A Hunger Artist, which may or may not have some connection to what we are reading… And so it goes on. You don’t really need to have any prior knowledge of Kafka’s works to enjoy this, but some awareness of the general themes and ideas are probably advisable. But then, the main reason for picking this up is because it piqued your interest, right?
Cosy crime novel, or Golden Age crime novel, this is not. Nor is it noir - Scandi, Tartan or any other hue. It just, well, is. Half way through the book Inspector Beide declares:
‘I think we’re on the right track, or at least we’re on a track that could be parallel to the right track. At any rate, we’re on a track, and we’ve learned so much.’
Expect the unexpected, open your mind and just go with the flow. I totally loved this and it left me, with an ending that is actually quite moving, not only thinking about dreams and reality, about the absurdity of life, but also about the moments we should cherish and savour. Unlike anything else I’ve read for a long time, and totally deserving of 5 stars.
December 8, 2022
Was wäre, wenn Franz Kafka nicht an Tuberkulose gestorben wäre? Wenn er stattdessen in seinem Krankenhausbett aufgewacht wäre und seine Schöpfung, Gregor Samsa, neben ihm säße und mit einem Fieberthermometer hantierte. Was wäre, wenn dann noch ein Inspektor auftauchen und Kafka bitten würde, ihm bei der Aufklärung einer Mordserie zu helfen, in die ein so genannter „Hänge-Künstler“ verwickelt ist, der jeden Abend auf der Bühne zu sterben scheint?
Dieses mögliche Szenario erschafft Autor Jon Steinhagen in seinem ersten Roman „Kafka und der Tote am Seil“. Die Handlung folgt die meiste Zeit über dem Schriftsteller Franz Kafka, der versucht, sich in einem Leben zurecht zu finden, das er eigentlich gar nicht mehr führen sollte. Hin und wieder wird jedoch auch geschildert, was parallel an anderen Orten geschieht. Die Erzählperspektive ist eine allwissende, in der Vergangenheitsform und der dritten Person.
Dieses Buch ist einfach herrlich skurril! Vor allem die Anwesenheit Gregors und Kafkas trockener, satirischer Humor führen im Laufe der Geschichte immer wieder zu amüsanten, aber auch absurden Szenen. Die restliche Zeit über ist der Roman ein solider Krimi mit einem mysteriösen Hauptverdächtigen und jeder Menge Leichen. Ein großes Plus sind dabei auch die wiederkehrenden Anspielungen auf Kafkas Leben und Werk, wie zum Beispiel die Beziehung zu seinem Vater oder etwas offensichtlicher die auf „Die Verwandlung“ oder „Ein Hungerkünstler“.
Woran ich leider Kritik üben muss, ist der Schluss des Romans. Mit diesem macht der Autor es sich, in meinen Augen, unglaublich einfach, weil so bestimmte Elemente des Kriminalfalls ganz einfach erklärt werden können. Für mich ist das Mit-Raten ein zentraler Bestandteil einer solchen Geschichte – das wird hier völlig ausgehebelt. Ebenso verpufft die so stark aufgebaute, skurrile Handlung am Ende in der Frage nach dem „Warum“ und „Weshalb“ und lässt die Leser/-innen ein wenig ratlos zurück.
Fazit: Ein skurriles Lesevergnügen, wenn man sich darauf einlassen kann – mit Schwächen am Ende des Romans
Dieses mögliche Szenario erschafft Autor Jon Steinhagen in seinem ersten Roman „Kafka und der Tote am Seil“. Die Handlung folgt die meiste Zeit über dem Schriftsteller Franz Kafka, der versucht, sich in einem Leben zurecht zu finden, das er eigentlich gar nicht mehr führen sollte. Hin und wieder wird jedoch auch geschildert, was parallel an anderen Orten geschieht. Die Erzählperspektive ist eine allwissende, in der Vergangenheitsform und der dritten Person.
Dieses Buch ist einfach herrlich skurril! Vor allem die Anwesenheit Gregors und Kafkas trockener, satirischer Humor führen im Laufe der Geschichte immer wieder zu amüsanten, aber auch absurden Szenen. Die restliche Zeit über ist der Roman ein solider Krimi mit einem mysteriösen Hauptverdächtigen und jeder Menge Leichen. Ein großes Plus sind dabei auch die wiederkehrenden Anspielungen auf Kafkas Leben und Werk, wie zum Beispiel die Beziehung zu seinem Vater oder etwas offensichtlicher die auf „Die Verwandlung“ oder „Ein Hungerkünstler“.
Woran ich leider Kritik üben muss, ist der Schluss des Romans. Mit diesem macht der Autor es sich, in meinen Augen, unglaublich einfach, weil so bestimmte Elemente des Kriminalfalls ganz einfach erklärt werden können. Für mich ist das Mit-Raten ein zentraler Bestandteil einer solchen Geschichte – das wird hier völlig ausgehebelt. Ebenso verpufft die so stark aufgebaute, skurrile Handlung am Ende in der Frage nach dem „Warum“ und „Weshalb“ und lässt die Leser/-innen ein wenig ratlos zurück.
Fazit: Ein skurriles Lesevergnügen, wenn man sich darauf einlassen kann – mit Schwächen am Ende des Romans
February 14, 2023
Jon Steinhagen hat eine Geschichte weitergesponnen, diese mit einer abstrusen Mordserie gewürzt, Wortwitz, Situationskomik und geheimnisvolle Rätsel beigemischt und einen ungewöhnlichen Ermittler hinzugefügt.
Die mystisch angehauchten Vibes haben die Stimmung gedrückt und ließen die Schatten noch bedrohlicher wirken. Mir hat es ebenfalls gefallen, wie der Autor die Atmosphäre des damaligen Wiens einfängt und mit eingeflochten hat.
Mit Spannung habe ich den Fall verfolgt und wurde hin und wieder aufs Glatteis geführt. Es gibt gut platzierte Hinweise, ungewöhnliche Ermittlungsmethoden und ein abenteuerliches Unterfangen, das mich herrlich unterhalten hat. Einiges sprengt die Grenzen des Verstandes, aber was habe ich auch anderes erwartet?
In der Mitte gab es tatsächlich ein paar Längen, in denen mir vor allem die Weiterentwicklung gefehlt hat. Dafür kam die Auflösung des Falls sehr plötzlich, passte aber vom Grad der Seltsamkeit ins Bild.
Was halte ich nun von der Geschichte? Ich glaube dem Autor ist es gelungen tief in meine Gehirnwindungen zu kriechen, mich zu verwirren und immer wieder die Frage aufzuwerfen: ist das nun echt oder bilde ich mir alles ein?
Fazit: Jon Steinhagen hat sich mit »Kafka und der Tote am Seil« an Abstrusitäten kaum übertreffen können. Ich habe mich bei der ganzen Geschichte gut unterhalten gefühlt und jetzt total Lust auf weitere lustige und leichte Kriminalgeschichten!
Die ganze Rezension gibt es auf unserem Blog!
Die mystisch angehauchten Vibes haben die Stimmung gedrückt und ließen die Schatten noch bedrohlicher wirken. Mir hat es ebenfalls gefallen, wie der Autor die Atmosphäre des damaligen Wiens einfängt und mit eingeflochten hat.
Mit Spannung habe ich den Fall verfolgt und wurde hin und wieder aufs Glatteis geführt. Es gibt gut platzierte Hinweise, ungewöhnliche Ermittlungsmethoden und ein abenteuerliches Unterfangen, das mich herrlich unterhalten hat. Einiges sprengt die Grenzen des Verstandes, aber was habe ich auch anderes erwartet?
In der Mitte gab es tatsächlich ein paar Längen, in denen mir vor allem die Weiterentwicklung gefehlt hat. Dafür kam die Auflösung des Falls sehr plötzlich, passte aber vom Grad der Seltsamkeit ins Bild.
Was halte ich nun von der Geschichte? Ich glaube dem Autor ist es gelungen tief in meine Gehirnwindungen zu kriechen, mich zu verwirren und immer wieder die Frage aufzuwerfen: ist das nun echt oder bilde ich mir alles ein?
Fazit: Jon Steinhagen hat sich mit »Kafka und der Tote am Seil« an Abstrusitäten kaum übertreffen können. Ich habe mich bei der ganzen Geschichte gut unterhalten gefühlt und jetzt total Lust auf weitere lustige und leichte Kriminalgeschichten!
Die ganze Rezension gibt es auf unserem Blog!
Want to read
August 3, 2019I am strangely intrugued but on the other hand giant cockroaches 🤔
December 21, 2022
Fantasy trifft Krimi oder Kafka trifft die Welt
Kafka und der Tote am Seil
von John Steinhagen
erschienen im penhaligon Verlag am 23. November 2022
Taschenbuch 432 Seiten
Klappentext
Was wäre, wenn Franz Kafka nicht mit 40 Jahren an Tuberkulose verstorben wäre? Wenn er stattdessen am Tag nach seinem vermeintlichen Tod die Augen aufgeschlagen und sich an seinem Krankenbett eine ungewöhnlich große, ungewöhnlich eloquente Kakerlake als Pflegekraft befunden hätte? Die ihm noch dazu ungewöhnlich bekannt vorkäme? Schon bald werden Kafka und Gregor Samsa von einer geheimnisvollen Agentur als Privatermittler engagiert, denn im Wien des Jahres 1924 kommt es zu einer ebenso mysteriösen wie bizarren Mordserie – und des Rätsels Lösung ist absurder als alles, was Kafka sich jemals selbst hätte ausdenken können ...
Meine Meinung
Angezogen vom Cover und Titel, habe ich mich in die Fantasykrimiwelt gewagt. Ja, was wäre oder hätte passieren können, wenn Franz Kafka nicht an Tuberkulose gestorben wäre? Der erste Roman von Jon Steinhagen entführt uns ins Frühe 20 Jahrhundert.
Es ist das erste Buch, das ich von Jon Steinhagen gelesen habe, der Schreibstil liest sich angenehm, die Sprache ist der damaligen Zeit angepasst und es passieren einige skurrile Sachen im Roman. Nun muss ich gestehen, dass mir dieses Werk mehr zusagt als jegliche andere Werke von Franz Kafka. In diesem Roman entdecken wir das ein oder andere Werk von Franz Kafka. Da möchte ich aber nicht vorgreifen, sondern jeder sollte es selber herausfinden.
Alle Figuren werden hier ausführlich beschrieben und sind ein Teil der Geschichte. Ihre Worte und Gedanken führen zur Erheiterung und teilweise auch zur Lösung von dem Kriminalfall. Über Franz Kafka und seinen skurrilen Begleiter Georg habe ich mich köstlich amüsiert, und auch der oder die Inspektoren haben mir sehr gut gefallen. Kafka beziehungsweise der Inspektor haben mich zwischendurch mit ihren Ermittlungen aufs Glatteis geführt. Der Schluss ist absurd, aber wiederum sehr passend zum gesamten Buchinhalt.
Fazit
Franz Kafka und der Tote am Seil, ein unterhaltsamer Fantasykrimi mit einem interessanten Ende. Die Erzählperspektive erlaubt mehre Einblicke und Gedanken der Figuren. Kafka, Gregor und der Inspektor unterhalten den Leser mit ihren teilweise skurrilen und absurden Aussagen. Von mir gibt es 5 🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥 und eine Leseempfehlung.
Kafka und der Tote am Seil
von John Steinhagen
erschienen im penhaligon Verlag am 23. November 2022
Taschenbuch 432 Seiten
Klappentext
Was wäre, wenn Franz Kafka nicht mit 40 Jahren an Tuberkulose verstorben wäre? Wenn er stattdessen am Tag nach seinem vermeintlichen Tod die Augen aufgeschlagen und sich an seinem Krankenbett eine ungewöhnlich große, ungewöhnlich eloquente Kakerlake als Pflegekraft befunden hätte? Die ihm noch dazu ungewöhnlich bekannt vorkäme? Schon bald werden Kafka und Gregor Samsa von einer geheimnisvollen Agentur als Privatermittler engagiert, denn im Wien des Jahres 1924 kommt es zu einer ebenso mysteriösen wie bizarren Mordserie – und des Rätsels Lösung ist absurder als alles, was Kafka sich jemals selbst hätte ausdenken können ...
Meine Meinung
Angezogen vom Cover und Titel, habe ich mich in die Fantasykrimiwelt gewagt. Ja, was wäre oder hätte passieren können, wenn Franz Kafka nicht an Tuberkulose gestorben wäre? Der erste Roman von Jon Steinhagen entführt uns ins Frühe 20 Jahrhundert.
Es ist das erste Buch, das ich von Jon Steinhagen gelesen habe, der Schreibstil liest sich angenehm, die Sprache ist der damaligen Zeit angepasst und es passieren einige skurrile Sachen im Roman. Nun muss ich gestehen, dass mir dieses Werk mehr zusagt als jegliche andere Werke von Franz Kafka. In diesem Roman entdecken wir das ein oder andere Werk von Franz Kafka. Da möchte ich aber nicht vorgreifen, sondern jeder sollte es selber herausfinden.
Alle Figuren werden hier ausführlich beschrieben und sind ein Teil der Geschichte. Ihre Worte und Gedanken führen zur Erheiterung und teilweise auch zur Lösung von dem Kriminalfall. Über Franz Kafka und seinen skurrilen Begleiter Georg habe ich mich köstlich amüsiert, und auch der oder die Inspektoren haben mir sehr gut gefallen. Kafka beziehungsweise der Inspektor haben mich zwischendurch mit ihren Ermittlungen aufs Glatteis geführt. Der Schluss ist absurd, aber wiederum sehr passend zum gesamten Buchinhalt.
Fazit
Franz Kafka und der Tote am Seil, ein unterhaltsamer Fantasykrimi mit einem interessanten Ende. Die Erzählperspektive erlaubt mehre Einblicke und Gedanken der Figuren. Kafka, Gregor und der Inspektor unterhalten den Leser mit ihren teilweise skurrilen und absurden Aussagen. Von mir gibt es 5 🐥🐥🐥🐥🐥 und eine Leseempfehlung.
July 11, 2019
Franz Kafka wakes up in his hospital bed, well and ravenous, to find his attentive companion is no other than Gregor, the salesman who turned into a cockroach in Kafka’s story ‘Metamorphosis’. Kafka, aided by Gregor (invisible to anyone but Kafka) and the mysterious Inspektor Beide, must sleuth his way through a series of peculiar murders which appear to be strikingly similar to the performance of a music hall artist who apparently commits suicide every night.
The Hanging Artist is a love letter to the imaginative, off kilter and ethereal writing of Kafka. A giant cockroach, with an utterly disgusting sense of what counts as gourmet food (do not use Google to find out. I did and what I saw can never be undone), a police person capable of shifting gender in a blink, and a completely bonkers series of encounters and dialogue which would not be out of place in a mashup of Grand Hotel Budapest and The Master and Margarita, all add up to an engaging and sinister romp you do not want to end.
It is not an easy task to bring a sense of a revered author’s writing to life without it being found wanting, but Jon Steinhagen’s prose has incredible poise and sensitivity when it comes to reinventing the genre that is Franz Kafka.
As well as recreating the style of writing Kafka aficionados would recognise, Steinhagen has crafted, by any standards, a multi-layered, and brilliantly plotted murder mystery that keeps on giving.
The dialogue is witty and madcap, as well as being poignant in all the right places.
If The Hanging Artist might appear at first glance not to be your cup of tea, take a peek at the first paragraph. I defy you not to get hooked.
The Hanging Artist was a gem worth getting hold of, because of the time I spent chortling, then being stunned into silence by a growing sense of disquiet, only to have the tension broken again. Besides which, who could resist a talking insect with a personality as far from Disney anthropomorphism as you could get.
The Hanging Artist was courtesy of Abbadon via NetGalley.
The Hanging Artist is a love letter to the imaginative, off kilter and ethereal writing of Kafka. A giant cockroach, with an utterly disgusting sense of what counts as gourmet food (do not use Google to find out. I did and what I saw can never be undone), a police person capable of shifting gender in a blink, and a completely bonkers series of encounters and dialogue which would not be out of place in a mashup of Grand Hotel Budapest and The Master and Margarita, all add up to an engaging and sinister romp you do not want to end.
It is not an easy task to bring a sense of a revered author’s writing to life without it being found wanting, but Jon Steinhagen’s prose has incredible poise and sensitivity when it comes to reinventing the genre that is Franz Kafka.
As well as recreating the style of writing Kafka aficionados would recognise, Steinhagen has crafted, by any standards, a multi-layered, and brilliantly plotted murder mystery that keeps on giving.
The dialogue is witty and madcap, as well as being poignant in all the right places.
If The Hanging Artist might appear at first glance not to be your cup of tea, take a peek at the first paragraph. I defy you not to get hooked.
The Hanging Artist was a gem worth getting hold of, because of the time I spent chortling, then being stunned into silence by a growing sense of disquiet, only to have the tension broken again. Besides which, who could resist a talking insect with a personality as far from Disney anthropomorphism as you could get.
The Hanging Artist was courtesy of Abbadon via NetGalley.
August 1, 2023
Ich habe das Buch bei ca. 60% abgebrochen. Vieles, was in den positiven Rezensionen geschrieben wurde, kann ich durchaus nachvollziehen: Das Buch ist skurril, abgedreht, ungewöhnlich. Ja, stimmt alles. Aber gut und unterhaltsam wird es allein dadurch für mich noch nicht. Ich habe mich eher durch die Seiten gequält und hoffte an vielen Stellen, der Autor möge sich endlich entscheiden, ob er nun einen spannenden Krimi-Plot aufbauen will oder sich lieber in psychodelischen Andeutungen verlieren möchte. Und ich hatte das - durchaus unangenehme - Gefühl, dass der Autor ganz bewusst auf die Zugwirkung des Namens Kafka spekuliert hat. Allein, von der Person Franz Kafka und seiner Gedankenwelt habe ich wenig gespürt. Ich hatte durchgehend das Gefühl, Kafka sei in diesem Buch nur zu Besuch und fühle sich dabei eher unwohl.
August 20, 2020
Okay Then....
A work of imagination and sadness. Not sure if I enjoyed it as much as I admired it. It definitely helps if you’ve read Kafka, or at least about him. A murder mystery with a most unusual villain, but who done it is the least important question. The real mystery is why.
A work of imagination and sadness. Not sure if I enjoyed it as much as I admired it. It definitely helps if you’ve read Kafka, or at least about him. A murder mystery with a most unusual villain, but who done it is the least important question. The real mystery is why.
May 6, 2019
What happens when Kafka miraculously survived TB and was asked to help investigate a string of murders with the help of a giant cockroach?
Just the description alone was enough to capture my attention. The Hanging Artist is a well written, suspenseful page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Just the description alone was enough to capture my attention. The Hanging Artist is a well written, suspenseful page-turner that I thoroughly enjoyed.
July 20, 2020
When everything is surreal, the foundation of the story loses its grip on my attention.
Kafka is well portrayed, but the surrounding nonsense removes any of the fun. I quit about 120 pages into this. "
Kafka is well portrayed, but the surrounding nonsense removes any of the fun. I quit about 120 pages into this. "
July 27, 2024
Eine spannende Geschichte. Der Schreibstil ist zum Teil experimentell, was zum mitdenken anregt. Ein wenig Vorwissen zur Biographie schadet nicht, denn dadurch wird es erst zu Kafka selbst. Ansonsten ist es einfach nur ein guter fantasy Roman.
February 23, 2023
Heimspiel
Musste ich lesen, spielt ja nur 3km von meiner Wohnung entfernt.
War aber so sehr unterhaltsam und einfallsreich
Musste ich lesen, spielt ja nur 3km von meiner Wohnung entfernt.
War aber so sehr unterhaltsam und einfallsreich
July 27, 2023
Ein Fantasy-Krimi mit viel Witz und Absurdität. Total unterhaltsam und absolut lesenswert. Unerwartet viel Sympathie für den Side-Kick 😄
January 21, 2020
History tells us that Franz Kafka died of tuberculosis in June of 1924. Steinhagen tells us that Kafka recovered from that disease under inexplicable circumstances and then was subjected to that cruelest of all fates, being a protagonist in a Kafka story.
Kafka plays a confused, anxiety-ridden, constantly baffled Sherlock with a talking insect, Gregor, as his Watson, in a murder mystery where the perpetrator seems obvious, except that it's impossible. Kafka finds himself working for an organization that will explain very little but seems to know a great deal they aren't telling him. He finds people with secrets, people full of despair, people riddled with existential crises, and things he cannot explain, all while trying to solve a series of murders everyone around him seems to know a great deal about, and next to nothing at all.
For readers that don't mind a little anxiety, paranoia, and sense of futility to their murder mysteries as shady organizations work to an agenda they are unwilling to share, this is a treat. Kafka's stories and obsessions have always been about whether anything had any meaning or was worthwhile. Now he struggles with those same questions as he tries to find a killer.
Kafka plays a confused, anxiety-ridden, constantly baffled Sherlock with a talking insect, Gregor, as his Watson, in a murder mystery where the perpetrator seems obvious, except that it's impossible. Kafka finds himself working for an organization that will explain very little but seems to know a great deal they aren't telling him. He finds people with secrets, people full of despair, people riddled with existential crises, and things he cannot explain, all while trying to solve a series of murders everyone around him seems to know a great deal about, and next to nothing at all.
For readers that don't mind a little anxiety, paranoia, and sense of futility to their murder mysteries as shady organizations work to an agenda they are unwilling to share, this is a treat. Kafka's stories and obsessions have always been about whether anything had any meaning or was worthwhile. Now he struggles with those same questions as he tries to find a killer.
May 25, 2019
"Franz Kafka investigates the supernatural with the aid of a giant cockroach"This is the buddy cop team-up I never knew I needed in my life until I read those words. As expected, it is quirky, odd and surreal; very Kafka-esque, but also incredibly fun with moments of unexpected silliness. You don't need to be a fan or familiar with Kafka's work to enjoy. It is still very readable with breadcrumbs scattered throughout for the devotees. The only minor downside ... and these are words I never thought I would ever say ... it needed more cockroach!!! Some of the interactions between Kafka and Gregor were truly priceless. Highly recommended.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the ARC.
June 11, 2020
The Hanging Artist is a very specific kind of entertainment. If the premise (Kafka awakes in a sanitarium to meet a giant talking bug and then is sucked into a bizarre murder mystery) sounds too strange, then it probably will be for you. But if it sounds great (like it did to me) then by all means buy, buy, buy.
Kafka makes for a great amateur detective, and apart from the inherent absurdism of the premise, Steinhagen’s greatest treat for this reader was the screwball detective dialogue between Kafka and the giant bug, and Kafka and the Biede character (an investigator from the mysterious society that wants to employ Kafka’s skills). Then there are all the suspects and various theater folk, each uniquely drawn and memorable, and the playful “nocturnes” following a Hanging Artist performance where acquaintances of theater patrons are dropping dead. The mystery actually had me guessing, and the solution to the crime is appropriately bizarre.
Witty, dark, and sometimes silly, The Hanging Artist makes for smart, surreal escapism.
Kafka makes for a great amateur detective, and apart from the inherent absurdism of the premise, Steinhagen’s greatest treat for this reader was the screwball detective dialogue between Kafka and the giant bug, and Kafka and the Biede character (an investigator from the mysterious society that wants to employ Kafka’s skills). Then there are all the suspects and various theater folk, each uniquely drawn and memorable, and the playful “nocturnes” following a Hanging Artist performance where acquaintances of theater patrons are dropping dead. The mystery actually had me guessing, and the solution to the crime is appropriately bizarre.
Witty, dark, and sometimes silly, The Hanging Artist makes for smart, surreal escapism.
December 21, 2019
The works of Franz Kafka eschew logic for bafflement, to create a sense of realist incomprehension.
And this book, which imagines the man himself as a character in a story worthy of both Kafka and Agatha Christie, is pitch perfect in creating that sense of skewed reality. Things shift in and out of sense, characters appear and disappear, and the shadows are filled with machinations.
It's confusing, but at the same time thrilling. I loved it. I loved the pace and rhythm, the dialog and characters, the playful engagement with Kafka's work and his life. It's a juggling act that never falters, and it was satisfying to the end.
Bravo!
And this book, which imagines the man himself as a character in a story worthy of both Kafka and Agatha Christie, is pitch perfect in creating that sense of skewed reality. Things shift in and out of sense, characters appear and disappear, and the shadows are filled with machinations.
It's confusing, but at the same time thrilling. I loved it. I loved the pace and rhythm, the dialog and characters, the playful engagement with Kafka's work and his life. It's a juggling act that never falters, and it was satisfying to the end.
Bravo!
June 3, 2020
Franz Kafka and a giant, talking cockroach - together they solve crimes. I'm happy to report that the book lives up to its absurdist premise, and Steinhagen's whimsical prose is a joy to read.
This one also benefited from being the right book at the right time (perfect companion to read along Dorohedoro, Vol. 1, hah!), but it's very enjoyable even regardless of that fact.
This one also benefited from being the right book at the right time (perfect companion to read along Dorohedoro, Vol. 1, hah!), but it's very enjoyable even regardless of that fact.
January 11, 2025
Am liebsten hätte ich diesem Buch 5 Sterne gegeben, denn es wurde wirklich beeindruckend geschrieben. Die Formulierungen, die Satzstrukturen und Gedankengänge sind so tiefgründig und bedacht, auf so etwas einfallsreiches kommt kein normaler Mensch :) Man hat tatsächlich das Gefühl, eine von Kafka geschriebene Geschichte zu lesen.
Nur leider passt das Ende und die Auflösung des Falles nicht zu dieser wahnsinnig tollen Schreibweise. Das war ziemlich enttäuschend für mich.
Trotzdem sehr sehr lesenswert.
Nur leider passt das Ende und die Auflösung des Falles nicht zu dieser wahnsinnig tollen Schreibweise. Das war ziemlich enttäuschend für mich.
Trotzdem sehr sehr lesenswert.
February 12, 2020
Since the other reviews have covered the relationship of this mystery to Franz Kafka's death and imagined insect friend, let me just add that it was an intriguing bit of magical realism. How can a "magician" with a set routine, hang himself to death every night and why are others loosely connected to this"performance art" be found hung to death the next morning? Exciting and enjoyable. I hoped that Kafka would go on to solve more mysteries.
July 21, 2020
I also use the Kafka persona (see Kafka's Cat), so I'm a critical reader, jealously tuned in to sentimental abuse of our fool-saint. This book is superb! A prolonged prose poem. Beautifully timed reveals and shifts of tone, and a resolution that I found emotionally and intellectually satisfying. I will eagerly read anything Jon Steinhagen comes up with. I hope--I hope--I truly hope he'll be able to stay with unseren Franzl.
June 28, 2019
This is my kind of story: Weird and irreverent, funny yet sad. A detective story that is less about who did it, and more about why; laden with Kafka-esque Easter eggs to satisfy any fan, and leaving you wondering if the whole thing wasn’t Kafka’s own deathbed fever dream.
August 1, 2019
I loved absolutely everything about this book. The wittiest book I’ve read in a long while and a story I was completely enthralled in - could not put it down. Please keep with writing more! Kafka, Gregor and Beide have so many more mysteries to solve!
March 20, 2020
3.5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this book! I honestly didn't know what I was getting myself into when I picked up a book involving Franz Kafka as a private investigator, but I was glad to find that it was rather intriguing. I'll have to keep my eye out for more by this author.
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