{"id":1775,"date":"2015-11-11T19:57:19","date_gmt":"2015-11-11T18:57:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/?p=1775"},"modified":"2020-05-31T00:13:20","modified_gmt":"2020-05-30T22:13:20","slug":"die-spieluhr-eine-novelle-ulrich-tukur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/2015\/11\/die-spieluhr-eine-novelle-ulrich-tukur\/","title":{"rendered":"Die Spieluhr: Eine Novelle \u2022 Ulrich Tukur"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

I\u2019ve always been fascinated by beautiful books, and recently I\u2019ve been deliberately looking out for them. Of course, the inner values must also convince, which makes it not so easy to find the combination of visual elegance and captivating content. Somehow I came across a blog post on this very topic and found, in the comments, a book recommendation by Ulrike Sokul, who reviewed the book Die Spieluhr<\/em> (\u201cThe Music Box\u201d) by Ulrich Tukur on her blog<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This small volume, with its 160 pages, makes for a delightful read between longer books and is perfectly suited to be enjoyed in one sitting on a cold winter evening. The story is told from the perspective of an actor, who repeatedly hears accounts from other people\u2014allowing the reader, through these detours, to gain insight into the thoughts of others. Tukur\u2019s style is very pleasant to read, and one quickly becomes immersed in his world, which unfolds not far from Paris and offers beautiful settings. He takes the reader to an old, almost eerie castle, baroque salons, or a small, picturesque village. There\u2019s a sense of old, musty, long-passed atmosphere that pervades everything, and together with the narrator, who speaks in the first person, one becomes deeply involved in the captivating fate surrounding a mysterious marquise.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

[…] and everything was praise of nature, and in the lush foliage of the trees, which took root on the canvas, grew, and shone yellow, emerald green, and red, the angels sang and looked at her kindly from eyes fringed with lashes. (p. 18)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Similar to The Drop<\/a> or Baba Yaga<\/em> by Toby Barlow, I would categorize this novella into a new genre of \u201cmodern fairy tale\u201d or something along those lines. Even though The Music Box<\/em> is set in the past, it possesses that kind of new magic that I love and find difficult to describe. The story captivated me from the very beginning, and short as it is, it\u2019s hard to put down. What\u2019s remarkable is Tukur\u2019s vivid language\u2014you can tell he\u2019s at home in the film industry. He masterfully blends reality with the unreal, relying heavily on visual effects. It reminded me of Tad Williams\u2019 more recent works (e.g., the Shadowmarch<\/em> series). It\u2019s interesting to note that even in the classics, scenes are often described in great detail (Victor Hugo, for example, did so extensively), yet they never resorted to \u201cspecial effects.\u201d In contemporary literature, however, it\u2019s not uncommon to find a glowing orb drifting through a magician\u2019s mind, representing the source of magic. Or, as in Baba Yaga<\/em>, there was an action-packed scene that could easily have been part of a screenplay. The influence of film, television, and games on literature is undeniable\u2014and not something to be condemned.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

It was … perhaps … like in a film, where the camera slowly pulls back, and while the harpsichord became dramatic background music, a second eye revealed itself to me, then bit by bit the face of a woman, until she was finally fully visible. (p. 34)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

All in all, the story is pleasant to read but not extraordinary. Everything fits together nicely, though much remains unresolved by the end. Overall, The Music Box<\/em> is like a short fairy tale that probably won\u2019t occupy my thoughts much beyond the reading experience. A typical small treat for in-between reading\u2014entertaining, enjoyable, and one that you can easily pick up again after a few years without losing much of its charm.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

As for the appearance of this little book, Ulrike\u2019s recommendation did not disappoint me. It\u2019s bound in green linen, with ornate, golden shimmering embossing on the cover. It exudes a certain old-fashioned charm and, with its motif, appears elegant, slightly classical, and romantic. I like it very much, and it\u2019s a wonderful addition to my bookshelf. The harmony between appearance and content is pleasing\u2014something some publishers do very well\u2014and in this case, it\u2019s entirely successful.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\"The<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conclusion: <\/strong>If you appreciate wondrous stories that are set in a classical, old-fashioned, and romantic atmosphere, you will love this book. Mysterious figures, such as the beautiful marquise, tales of lost love, the magic and art of music, and the uncovering of an old secret that reaches back over a hundred years\u2014all these elements, combined with a clear narrative style, make this a reading pleasure. Naturally, a novella isn\u2019t very long, so the reading enjoyment passes quickly and doesn\u2019t linger deeply. For my taste, this little book is much too short. A beautifully designed and harmonious book that I can wholeheartedly recommend.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Book information: <\/strong>Die Spieluhr: Eine Novelle<\/em> \u2022 Ulrich Tukur \u2022 Ullstein Verlag \u2022 160 pages \u2022 ISBN 9783550080302<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve always been fascinated by beautiful books, and recently I\u2019ve been deliberately looking out for them. Of course, the inner values must also convince, which makes it not so easy to find the combination of visual elegance and captivating content. Somehow I came across a blog post on this very topic and found, in the … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Die Spieluhr: Eine Novelle \u2022 Ulrich Tukur”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Die Spieluhr: Eine Novelle \u2022 Ulrich Tukur - lesestunden","description":"Von sch\u00f6nen B\u00fcchern war ich immer schon fasziniert und in letzter Zeit habe ich gezielt nach solchen Ausschau gehalten. Nat\u00fcrlich m\u00fcssen auch die inneren W"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_slim_seo_primary_term_category":0,"_slim_seo_primary_term_post_tag":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,20],"tags":[67],"class_list":["post-1775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fiction","category-reviews","tag-ulrich-tukur"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/die_spieluhr.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lesestunden.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}