Finally, a magic realism book I actually really enjoyed! A dark fable about a man in search of love and adoration. Jean Baptiste Grenouille is born in the filth and muck of the ‘stinkiest’ place in all Paris during the eighteen century. Having no personal scent, his compensation is a sensitive nose that can detect and separate all of life’s odours.
A sly and cunning boy, believing himself to be infinitely superior to those around him, he quietly bides his time and works hard in a tannery. Made of a strong constitution he is able to ward of disease and he becomes a valuable employee with his employer allowing him to take time off now and again to wander around Paris where he ‘collect’ odours and stores them in his memory to recall and mix again and again.
On one of his nightly wanders he’s smells a scent so provocative that he must possess it. The scent is that of a virgin, and the knowledge of how to extract and preserve it becomes his life’s mission.
The novel is written in three parts. Part one is Grenouille’s birth, his work in the tannery and the meeting with the great perfumer Baldini.
Part two centres on his withdrawal from the overwhelming odours of Paris to a cave where he lives more like an animal, and spends his time fantasizing about drinking the perfect elixir he wishes to posses which would result in him being adored by others. Once he emerges from his cave he meets with a Marquis who believing Grenouille has been suffering from the effects of Fluidum Letale (corruptive gas from the earth) transforms him into an acceptable member of society.
Armed with a perfume that Grenuoille has created to replicate a human scent part three takes us to Grasse where he works for Arnulfi a perfumer who specialises in enflourage. Smelling once again the exquisite odour of a virgin Grenouille learns the techniques required to extract the most delicate of scents which he practices on human victims until is final victim is ‘ripe’ for taking.
Succeeding in his dream, he possesses his exquisite scent and upon using it those around him see him as a perfect and adorable being. But, there is no satisfaction in it as he knows how people really smell (and it’s not a good smell), he loathes them and cannot return the love that they are offering him under his spell. Suddenly, life is no longer worth living.
We are reminded throughout this novel that Grenouille is a loathsome person; you are not to feel sorry for him. He thinks himself superior, he has no conscience, feels no remorse. He is Grenouille ‘the tick’.
This is an evocative tale, full of imagery of odours during a filthy period of history.
About the author:
Süskind is a very private person, and lives in Munich. He was born in 1949 and works mainly as an author and screenwriter. One of his screenplays was the satire ‘Rossini’ which is based on his initial refusal to sell the screen rights to Das Parfum.
Stanley Kubrick claimed that the book was unfilmable, but Süskind did relent and in 2001 he received around 10 million euros for the rights.
Süskind is the author of the play: The Double Bass which had a very successful run in Germany.
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