Me and Kaminski

This is a brilliant satirical novel, the bare events of its plot further enriched by the presence of both a poetic and a philosophical subtext. Its protagonist is a snoopy, narcissistic journalist, Sebastian Zollner, eager to make his "important" career in the art world by writing the biography of a once famous painter, Manuel Kaminski, now a recluse whose chief works were a series of mirror-image paintings called "Reflections.". The title, adroitly putting "Me" before "Kaminski" as it does, is the perfectly chosen open sesame into the self-absorbed character of Sebastian. Especially winning is the later tying together of Kaminski's art and Zollner's life, for author Kehlmann has Sebastian in a key moment look into a mirror and see only a stranger. Seeking the truth about his subject's life pure and simple, Sebastian in frustration discovers the persons he interviews about Kaminski contradict one another, and he is led to realize in a way the wisdom in Wilde's quip about seeing into others, that "the truth is never pure and rarely simple." This novel bears a resemblance to Henry James' "Aspern Papers," a work featuring a similarly prying journalist who is brought at length to see, though from a less overtly philosophical perspective, his own emptiness. Zollner realizes after his fruitless quest for ownership of Kaminski's life an undeniable similarity to the experience of the follower of an Eastern sage mentioned earlier in the novel, the discovery that he finally has "nothing" and should even give that "nothing" up. "Me and Kaminski" is a novel that has been carefully "written;" nothing in its series of interviews and madcap adventures is by chance. As such, it is a tale whose events are radiant with meaning, and, consequently, one which merits rereading.

Kehlman unleashes a dualistic work, interestingly enough centered around a duo of main characters. Sebastian Zollner, unfortunately like so many in his profession, is an out-of-luck writer who's personal life and professional portfolio can only go up from where they currently stand. Manuel Kaminski is a famously awkward and bizarre painter who needs a biography to round out and bring a sense of continuity to a sporadic career. The two meet up, as their needs suit each other, and Zollner's probing of Kaminski's life culminates in whimsical and often laugh-out-loud circumstances. The second nature of the book, after recounting the story, can be seen as a satire of all types of people in creative professions. Looking at the life of Kaminski, both present and past, shows the ridiculous amount of potential artists have for being pretentious and somewhat unworthy of the attention that they garner. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Zollner embodies the unfortunate truth that in almost every aspect of life it is completely possible to give your very best and never gain the recognition that you deserve. Spitting a few drops of acid from his pen, Kehlman burns brief moments of literary cunning into the folds and crevasses of your brain, and lingering thoughts about whom in the art community actually deserves praise remain.