H. C. Artmann (1921–2000)
Author of The Quest for Dr. U: Or a Solitary Mirror in Which the Day Reflects
About the Author
Image credit: Image © ÖNB/Wien
Series
Works by H. C. Artmann
Under the Cover of a Hat: Montages and Sequences and Green-sealed Message - 90 Dreams (1974) 14 copies
Christopher und Peregrin und was weiter geschah. Ein Bären- Roman in drei Kapiteln. (1976) 11 copies
Die Sonne war ein grünes Ei. Von der Erschaffung der Welt und ihren Dingen (1982) 11 copies, 1 review
Das Suchen nach dem gestrigen Tag oder Schnee auf einem hei en Brotwecken : Eintragungen eines bizarren Liebhabers (1978) 5 copies
Die Jagd nach Dr. U: Oder, Ein einsamer Spiegel, in dem sich der Tag reflektiert (German Edition) (1977) 3 copies
The best of H. C. Artmann 2 copies
Gesammelte Prosa 4 2 copies
frankenstein!! 2 copies
Die Anfangsbuchstaben der Flagge 2 copies
Verbarium – Gedichte 1 copy
Von einem Husaren, der seine guldine Uhr in einem Teich oder Weiher verloren, sie aber nachhero nicht wiedergefunden… (1990) 1 copy
Gedichte über die Liebe und über die Lasterhaftigkeit. Ausgewählt von Elisabeth Borchers. (= Bibliothek… (1975) 1 copy
Elegie eines Briefträgers 1 copy
Pošto daš 1 copy
3 mal Teufel 1 copy
Artmann Liest Artmann 1 copy
Associated Works
Horror Stories: Das Beste vom Meister des Unheimlichen (suhrkamp taschenbuch) (2015) — Übersetzer, some editions — 12 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Artmann, H. C.
- Legal name
- Artmann, Hans Carl
- Other names
- Hansen, Ib
- Birthdate
- 1921-06-12
- Date of death
- 2000-12-04
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Austria
- Birthplace
- Wien-Breitensee, Österreich
- Place of death
- Vienna, Austria
- Cause of death
- heart failure
- Occupations
- writer
translator - Relationships
- Pock, Rosa (Ehefrau)
- Organizations
- Anti-P.E.N. Club
- Awards and honors
- Georg-Büchner-Preis (1997)
Literaturpreis der Stadt Wien (1977)
Members
Reviews
2 
BlackGlove | Jan 20, 2018 |
BlackGlove | Jan 20, 2018 | 
Die Sonne war ein grünes Ei. Von der Erschaffung der Welt und ihren Dingen is a collection of fairy tales/myths by H.C. Artmann. The title literally means: The sun was a green egg. Of the creation of the world and its things.
Plot:
The creation of the world as you’ve never seen it before: Maybe the sun really is an egg. Maybe Coffee Mill and Paper Kite are responsible for the creation of living things. Or maybe it was a magician and false prophet. Or…
Artmann created some very fantastic (in the literal sense) and weird stories, but in some ways they are more of the same old, same old – especially with regards to sexism. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the collection for the most part.
Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2016/11/05/die-sonne-war-ein-grunes-ei-h-c-artmann/… (more)
Plot:
The creation of the world as you’ve never seen it before: Maybe the sun really is an egg. Maybe Coffee Mill and Paper Kite are responsible for the creation of living things. Or maybe it was a magician and false prophet. Or…
Artmann created some very fantastic (in the literal sense) and weird stories, but in some ways they are more of the same old, same old – especially with regards to sexism. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the collection for the most part.
Read more on my blog: https://kalafudra.com/2016/11/05/die-sonne-war-ein-grunes-ei-h-c-artmann/… (more)
1 Soukesian | Sep 16, 2014 |
Soukesian | Sep 16, 2014 | Lists
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 104
- Also by
- 7
- Members
- 426
- Popularity
- #57,313
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 103
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 3
The last sentence on the back cover reads: "Its hero pursues an ultimate villain, the volatile Dr Unspeakable, through a bizarre labyrinth of situation and genre." - That summarizes H C Artmann's unusual creation fairly well, although I wouldn't define Dr U (who drifts in and out of proceedings) as an "ultimate" villain.
The book (which isn't a novel) consists of thirty-plus vignettes written in an elaborate and often enchanting style. Each snapshot ends with a short quote lifted from various sources which seem only vaguely relevant.
The shape-shifting Dr Unspeakable appears to be the author's alter ego or shadow or doppelganger or demon-on-the-shoulder or vardøger (good word!) - I might be wrong about this, but that's the impression I got.
Overall The Quest for Dr U is an entertaining albeit uneven read, the kind of book which could potentially be re-visited many times because of the hidden meanings and a sense of clever depth contained within each sketch.
However, as a whole, it doesn't quite hang together in a convincing way: its teleporting randomness may annoy some readers. That said, this is an enigmatic book, and is perhaps one for the inquisitive reader drawn to discover more than initially meets the eye.… (more)