You either love Werner Herzog or hate him, either think he is a genius or a pretentious blow hard, either love the liberties he takes with documenting "reality" or take umbrage with it. If you are of the camp that loves Herzog, you will thoroughly enjoy this book. Somewhere between filming diary and fever-dream, this book reminds me of Moby Dick. Both books feature a monomaniacal narrator, an obsession with an ever-elusive quarry and the exploration of the unknown which leads to an exploration of the soul and humanity's place in nature. The ending of each sounds the bell of futility as the capture of the quarry fills the respective character's stomachs with the howling pangs of emptiness. Herzog ends up with the conclusion that it was all an exercise in futility, he accomplished his goal, but it didn't matter...all he can say is: An event occurred, I played a part. It's hard to imagine a better book to read while severely jat-lagged to the point of semi-delirious. Herzog's journals are at once understated and wildly vivid, describing a period of high-drama from the perspective of its perpetrator who maintains a totally dispassionate tone throughout the whole thing, as if he is capable of observing his own life like a fragment of his larger operatic vision. I haven't even seen Fitzcarraldo, yet, in reading this book I have a different understanding of ambitious film and storytelling, and the line between art as product and process...fascinating read.
What do You think about Eroberung Des Nutzlosen (2009)?
A fascinating read and to know something of behind the scenes of the making of Fitzcarraldo.
—bill
Incredible, evocative writing. It is not a novel, so do not expect a coherent plot.
—hthrstrk
