ŷ������

April 20, 2011:

I bought this book in 1979 and read it sometime in the early 80's.

It's only a couple of hundred pages, so when Praj asked me to review it, I thought, hey, why not re-read it (even though I very rarely re-read books).

April 22, 2011:

Re-reading this novel has been a total revelation.

Firstly, I had previously rated it four stars from memory. Now I have upgraded it to five stars.

It's not just good, it's great, one of the best books I've read.

Secondly, I haven't seen the Volker Schlondorff film "Voyager", which is based on the novel.

If it is anywhere near as good as the book, I will seek out the film with a passion.

About the Right Length

I have read numerous books that were anywhere in length between 300 and 1,000 pages long.

However, there is something in me that feels that 200 pages is just the right length.

In the early days of the internet (when grazing seemed to have superseded dining), I thought everybody would head in this direction, and that the days of the epic were over.

I was clearly wrong, but I still feel that, if an author has a 600 page book in them, they should write three 200 page novels (or at most two 300 page novels).

Hit the ground running, say what you want to say, don't subject us to the risk of boredom, finish it and move onto the next novel.

It's ironic that I'm about to start "The Pale King".
But "Homo Faber" does just this.

Some Short, Sharp Examples

I have read a few novels that more or less live up to my prescription and are perfect as well.

Camus' "The Stranger" is one.

Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" is another.

Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness".

Nabokov's "Lolita".

"Tourmaline" by Randolph Stow.

To these great novels, I would now add "Homo Faber".

Towards Crystalline Perfection

Given the relatively small canvas, what matters to me is the crystalline perfection of the prose.

Not a word wasted, not a word that I would change.

Circumnavigating the Plot

I don't think it is fair to you to summarise or hint at the plot.

It is not a detailed or hyperactive plot.

The narrator (Walter Faber) finds himself in a number of related predicaments that conspire to reach a resolution, almost despite Faber's reluctance or inability to seize the initiative and direct or change the course of his life.

In retrospect, each predicament is an existentialist challenge to the certainty of his worldview and the way he (and we) live our lives.

Walter's Tanned and Toned

Part of the novel's appeal is the tone that derives from the unlikely character of Walter.

He is no hero, but neither is he an anti-hero.

He is a thin, wiry, 1950's Swiss engineer, a technologist, a believer in the reign of rationality over sentiment.

The Age of Aquarius isn't even on the horizon.

The tale is by him as well as about him.

His tone is dry and clinical, like an engineer's report.

Initially, he is world-weary, detached, disengaged, sarcastic, resigned.

You laugh at his interaction with the world, but it's not in your face comic farce per se, it's a serious farce scaling its way up to an immodest tragedy.

He's hanging on in quiet desperation (not just the English way, but the Swiss way as well).

Then things start to happen to him, some good, some bad.

Bit by bit, he becomes more engaged, more interactive, more hopeful.

Only to experience the greatest sadness I can conceive of.

Walter's Women

It's not giving anything away to say that Walter's plight revolves around the women in his life.

Given the relative absence of women friends, he is typical of many men in that he can only relate to a woman in one of three ways: in their capacity as mother, lover/wife or daughter.

This not only shapes the relationships in his life, it shapes him and the women as well.

The Feel, the Craft, the Finish

The novel starts dry, but builds quietly and confidently towards its end.

Max Frisch is a master of his craft.

An architect himself, Frisch's novel is immaculately conceived, flawlessly constructed and consummately delivered.

On time, on budget.

Ultimately, it defines the existentialist plight with both a rational and an emotional sensibility.

I realise that I haven't given you much to go on but my enthusiasm, but if you can find a copy, I guarantee that you will be hooked from the first sentence and you won't be able to stop.

Many thanks to Praj for prompting me to revisit the book and re-discover a classic of the second half of the last century.



P.S. Volker Schlöndorff Discusses His Film "Voyager [Homo Faber]" in 2011