Daniel Kehlmann

One of the most renowned and versatile German writers of our time, Daniel Kehlmann’s work delves into history, folklore, and the supernatural. His novels and plays have won numerous prizes around the world and been translated into more than 40 languages.

Kehlmann will be joining BorderKitchen to discuss his latest work of historical fiction, Lichtspiel, based on the life of G.W. Pabst, the great Austrian director who fled to Hollywood after the Nazis seized power. Struggling to find a place in California, Pabst eventually returns to his homeland, to be confronted with the true barbarism of the Nazi regime.

But Goebbels wants the film genius for his propaganda machine and won’t take no for an answer. While Pabst still believes that he will be able to resist these advances and that he will not submit to any dictatorship other than art, he has already taken the first steps into a hopeless entanglement.

A novel about art and power, beauty and barbarism, Lichtspiel cements Kehlmann’s reputation as one of the biggest successes in post-war German literature.