Play Book Tag discussion

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann - 5* - My Review

“Art is always out of place. Always unnecessary when it’s made. And later when you look back, it’s the only thing that mattered.”

The Director reimagines the life of (real) Austrian film director G.W. Pabst. During the rise of the Nazis, Pabst had fled to Hollywood but finds himself struggling to achieve his artistic vision within the strictures of the industry. At his mother’s request, he returns to Austria but finds it much changed under the German Reich. Pabst and his family become trapped when Germany invades Poland, and the borders are closed. He is “asked” to make films for the Reich, and he believes he can maintain his artistic integrity, but gradually finds himself making ethical compromises.

I read the English translation from the original German by Ross Benjamin. This is an amazing book. It combines history with details of film production and the creative process. It achieves a sense of disorientation that feels almost physical. It looks at the relationship between art and power, particularly at the nature of complicity, and the slippery slope of moral compromise. It is dark in places but not without humor and reminiscences of better times. There is an unexpected event near the end which brings the ethical dilemmas into sharper focus. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Highly recommended!

PBT Comment: This is unlike any WWII novel you have read - it's not really about the war itself, more about the pressures to conform and the moral dilemmas it creates. This book will make my Top 10 for the year.

I loved your review. The quote reminds me of the art quote in Station Eleven. Both are true.

I plan to read it in January. It fits one of my themes for 2026 - Autocracy, resistance, conformity, coercion, collaborators, etc.

(Did you hear about The Kennedy Center name change?! Where is the resistance?)