The Director
BOOK BY Daniel Kehlmann
An artist's life, a pact with the devil, a novel about the dangerous illusions of the silver screen.G.W. Pabst, one of cinema’s greatest directors of the 20th century, was filming in France when the Nazis seized power. To escape the horrors of the new and unrecognizable Germany, he fled to Hollywood. But now, under the blinding California sun, the world-famous director suddenly looks like a nobody. Not even Greta Garbo, the Hollywood actress whom he made famous, can help him.When he receives word that his elderly mother is ill, he finds himself back in his homeland of Austria, which is now called Ostmark. Pabst, his wife, and his young son are suddenly confronted with the barbaric nature of the regime. So, when Joseph Goebbels—the minister of propaganda in Berlin—sees the potential for using the European film icon for his directorial genius and makes big promises to Pabst and his family, Pabst must consider Goebbels’s thinly veiled order. While Pabst still believes that he will be able to resist these advances, that he will not submit to any dictatorship other than art, he has already taken the first steps into a hopeless entanglement.Daniel Kehlmann's novel about art and power, beauty and barbarism is a triumph. The Director shows what literature is capable of. The author’s use of language contributes significantly to the book’s appeal. Sentences flow smoothly, making the text easy to read while still conveying nuance. This stylistic clarity supports immersion, allowing readers to focus on the story rather than struggle with comprehension. The author skillfully integrates descriptive elements into the story without disrupting the flow. Settings are depicted clearly enough to establish context, yet they never overshadow the characters or plot. This balance enhances immersion while preserving narrative focus.