Sten Nadolny

It's been a long time since I last read a German book, the last one being [b:Die Tage der Sintflut - Roman über die Belagerung Aachens 1248|35905603|Die Tage der Sintflut - Roman über die Belagerung Aachens 1248|Günter Krieger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1501766164l/35905603._SY75_.jpg|57430292] by [a:Günter Krieger|6551385|Günter Krieger|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png], in 2017. Read, show more not heard, in which case [b:QualityLand|36422870|QualityLand|Marc-Uwe Kling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508164790l/36422870._SX50_.jpg|57851826] by [a:Marc-Uwe Kling|2863757|Marc-Uwe Kling|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1358872253p2/2863757.jpg] would be the last, in 2019.

'Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit' (translated as 'The Discovery of Slowness') is a book I bought a few years ago while being on a short holiday in Aachen, Germany. I had seen the book recommended here and elsewhere on the WWW. The blurb was something that spoke to me.

I won't go into detail about the book, there are many other reviewers who've done a very good job at that. It's important to note that this historical fiction revolves around Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer John Franklin, who lived in the 19th century. See Wikipedia for more information on his life, his experiences, his travels, etc.

As I read in one review, part of the story is based on historical facts, another part (Sir John Franklin having been slow in movement and in thought) is fiction. As such, this book isn't so much about John Franklin as it is about the concept of slowness. Slowness in (re)acting, slowness in thinking, slowness in approaching and living life.

From when he was a child, John Franklin was slow, couldn't catch a ball, let alone realise the game was already in a different phase. And so it was when he joined the navy, where he had to learn to adjust to the real world, the world of fast decisions, fast actions, fast talking. Where he had to learn... to stand up for himself, to acknowledge his "problem" or better, try to reverse the roles: instead of him having to adapt to other people's fast behaviour, he would make them adapt to his, otherwise he wouldn't make it in life and when fulfilling certain roles, those other people wouldn't make it either or fail to execute his orders (when he became officer) correctly.

Standing his ground, proving his worth, despite or thanks to his slowness and thus decisions that were well thought through, John Franklin would become one of Britain's most-respected men. As governor of Tasmania he would try to turn the tide for prisoners and perpetrators: re-integrate them into the local society, among the settlers, so that they could improve their lives. Everyone deserves a chance, so was his conviction. Of course, during his years of exploration as well as his years of governing, he would encounter hard resistance and learn how the game of politics is played.

He passed away on his final journey to find the Northwest passage (Wikipedia) in 1847, not the first time he would suffer from the cold and hardship, despite better preparations for his third undertaking.

The book is divided into three parts, starting with Franklin's youth, written in a way that makes you have sympathy for the boy and feel his struggles, how he's an outsider and his friends (or "friends") don't really understand him, mock him. In the later years of his life, he would prove them wrong.

Sten Nadolny has written the story in such a way that it corresponds with the title: this is a not a fast-paced thriller. At all. Read too fast and you'll miss a lot of the subtlety and the message Mr Nadolny tried to convey with regards to slowness.

Especially in this day and age, where our lives are for the most part dominated and regulated by technology, time, clocks, apps, ... a story like this one is an eye-opener or maybe a reminder that each of us needs to slow down every now and then to avoid exhaustion, burn-out, taking the wrong decisions (or deciding to hastily). Fast isn't always good, doesn't always serve the greater good. As Franklin said, when he tried to reform society in Tasmania: not everyone is fast, we all have our own clocks, our own rhythm. This has an impact on how we perceive the world, how "fast" we pick up new things, new skills, new information. Such a characteristic is to be taken into account in school, in workplaces, ...

Long story short: A beautiful story not only about Sir John Franklin, but also tickling you to do some introspection, and reconsider your personal plans/desires/endeavours, the world, society, as it's going through some crises at the moment. show less

Ich habe nicht das Buch gelesen, sondern die komplette Lesung als Hörbuch gehört.
Eine sehr schöne philosophische Zeitreise eines pensionierten Richters, der bei einem Bootsunglück auf dem Chiemsee als Geist in seine eigene Vergangenheit (mit gewissen Abweichungen zu seinen Erinnerungen) katapultiert wird. Alles ist sehr schön beschrieben und die Charakteren sind schön gezeichnet. Auch der Twist, dass der Richter in seine aktuelle Zeit zurückkehrt, aber feststellt, dass die Jahre seit show more dem Moment, den er besucht hat, und heute vollkommen anders gelaufen sind, als er sich erinnert, war sehr spannend.
Dann aber hat das Buch für mich sehr an Fahrt verloren und ich finde sogar, dass die letzten Seiten besser weggelassen worden wären.
Trotzdem alles in allem ein schönes Hör- bzw. Leseerlebnis show less

Interesting story of the life of a man who was told he was slow to learn, when in fact he was thoughtful. He achieved a great deal, had strange attitude to women and his wives, taking them or leaving them, the sea was what he loved, well written, but not sentimental

At first, this seemed like another Tom Holt novel, but delved into seriousness later on, you might say as a Terry Pratchett would.

Without spoiling certain events, I want to express my frustration with a couple things. First, the time-scale of the plot wasn't always clear, so I would turn the page to find that suddenly four years had gone by during that vague couple of expository paragraphs. Second, the plot was disappointingly separate from "current events" of the time. Third, and most show more frustratingly lacking in clarity: the ambiguous identity of certain characters and their avatars. In a book where ambiguity is not the point (unlike, say, a Borges or Calvino), why not be more clear about some of that world-building detail? Fourth, the two romantic relationships referred to right at the end of the book. Why was this not foreshadowed more? How do the two pairings relate to each other? Will things become complex? Unfortunately (unless I should blame the translator), I don't think this fogginess was desired. I do think this should have been a more traditionally formatted book, with clearer segues between plot points and clearer insertions of philosophy into plot.

In conclusion, Nadolny only wishes he were Gaiman crossed with Holt. show less