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

Jeffrey T. Adams (University of North Carolina, Greensboro)
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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 previous writings, others welcomed the novel's return to traditional…

1960 words

Citation: Adams, Jeffrey T.. "Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 November 2004 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=16617, accessed 19 March 2024.]

16617 Das Parfüm. Die Geschichte eines Mörders 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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