Product Description
In ON LOVE AND DEATH, Patrick Suskind reveals the hidden source of his mesmerizing fiction: an obsession with the darkly erotic link between love and death. In this witty and thought-provoking meditation on the two elemental forces of human existence, he brilliantly draws on scenes as contemporary as a young couple having oral sex in a traffic jam, as literary as Thomas Mann's discovery of forbidden love at an advanced age, and as mythical as the stories of death conquered through love in the narratives of Orpheus and Jesus.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 3 reviews)

On Love and Death by Patrick Suskind

Easy reading; nothing profound. Not a great piece of literature, but entertaining.
June 20, 2007

Another great Suskind book...

I am a great fan of Suskind's work, ever since I read "Perfume" and afterwards, after I read "The Pigeon", there is something compelling about his style; it's equal parts dark and illuminating, it showcases human emotion and makes a point of engaging all your senses into the reading experience.

I am sometimes reminded of Kafka's "Metamorphosis" when I've read Suskind, and in this particular case, he makes an interesting, and very personal analysis of the concepts of Love and Death and how they are inevitably intertwined in the human experience. His thoughts on these subjects and the examples he puts forth are sometimes raw, but they are a reflection of exactly how visceral these are in the first place.

I picked this book up in NY, and as the previous reviewer stated, it would make a great subway book since it's short and small enough to fit into a coat pocket, however, I found it so engrossing that if I had indeed been reading it in the subway, I would've surely missed my stop. I suggest you take your time with it, because even though it's a very short read, it packs a lot into its pages and it's worth re-reading certain passages to try to fully get the gist of what he's getting at.

Some people might find his references to Jesus offensive, but I suggest you try to look past it (as I did) and take the book for the angle it presents on two ideas that are ever-present in our lives and probably beyond that.
March 08, 2007

A great way to experience a new author

"On Love and Death" is a compelling and stimulating read, the kind of book that takes you back to your best philosophy class in college taught by your favorite professor. With luck it will signal the start of a series of essays like this: short books--this one just 76 pages--that assure you that no matter how busy you are, you do have time to read it. (If I lived in New York, this would be my subway book.) The single-essay-as-book format is also an excellent way to become acquainted with an author you may not have read before. I confess, I wasn't familiar with Patrick Suskind, but after "On Love and Death," I'll make it a point to read his other work.
December 09, 2006

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