Pain

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Fiction. Translated by Dennis McCort. Reinhard Knodt combines philosophy and poetry into an inextricable amalgamation. The book, whose first edition quickly sold out, shows that "Schmerz" (pain) is not something negative, to be avoided, but rather like yearning, homesickness, lovesickness, or rumination about loss, belongs to the most valuable matters of life. Addressed are basic situations: I am sick, I have gotten married, I have a boss, I have a child... but also the mental state of our time. The very densely woven texts are sometimes even suited for meditation, on the other hand they mark a downright urgent atmosphere of pleading to become "vital." The end marks a "solution" that does not consist of the avoidance of pain.