Patrick Süskind, Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders [Perfume. The Story of a Murderer]

Jeffrey T. Adams (University of North Carolina, Greensboro)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1985

Places

Germany (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
- Bildungsroman

Resources

One of the most-read German novels since Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks, Perfume has been translated into twenty-five languages and since its publication in 1985 has sold millions of copies world-wide. The novel's remarkable and sustained popularity may be attributed to its simultaneous appeal for the mass market as well as the cultural elite. Grunge rocker Kurt Cobain based the lyrics of his song “Scentless Apprentice” on Grenouille, the novel's memorable protagonist, but academics have also given Perfume serious attention. On the whole, popular reception was positive. While some German reviewers criticized the novel's free-ranging appropriation of canonical texts as the product of a literary parasite who feeds on p…

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1960 words

Citation: Adams, Jeffrey T.. "Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2004 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16617, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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