Incentives - Neue Literatur aus Österreich

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[ Buchtipp von Incentives ]
When a person burns, then it is with love, passion or rage – all these blazing feelings are to be found in the new novel Hanno brennt (Hanno Is Burning) by Markus Köhle, published by Milena.

The author, born in Tyrol in 1975, has so far presented ten books. He is also the editor of the literary magazine DUM and Austria’s longest serving poetry slammer. But now to the plot: Hanno, a thirty-one-year-old who is a master in the art of living, gets to know the twenty-five- year-old Annabell at a private party and tells her that he writes animal poems for a living. She wants to hear one immediately; he goes home and quickly composes a budgerigar poem. But when he comes back, Annabell has already gone. She has left behind a slip of paper with her home page address, and Hanno is now burning with love.

However, the passion to write animal poems has now been equally fanned within him. Together with his flatmate he offers animal texts in an art portal and produces a ‘performance’ in a café. The next thing that happens is that a sodomite announces himself through the art portal and would like to have an erotic love poem with his pomeranian. No sooner said than done. Hanno supplies the poem desired. But this turns out to be a trap.

This is because the police have been investigating the art portal for some time. Their tools are §278 and §278a of the Austrian Criminal Code – formation of a criminal association or organisation respectively. The members of the portal are taken into custody for several weeks – including Hanno. When he is released, he joins the resistance. Hanno is now burning – with rage.

What begins as an unspectacular romantic novel suddenly reveals intself as an explosively political text. This turn of events is unexpected – and the newly tightened ‘mafia’ paragraphs could affect every one of us just as unexpectedly. Köhle draws our attention to this in an impressive manner and reminds us of the trials against the animal liberation movement.

In addition Köhle is a grandiose virtuoso of language. The way in which he oscillates between narrative, poem, slam poetry, newspaper article and the style of official minutes is unbelievably entertaining. He also makes an impression with his laconic wit and subtle irony.

Hanno brennt is guaranteed not to leave anyone cold – whether an opponent or a supporter.


Abridged from the review by Angelo Algieri, June 2012. English translation by Leigh H. Bailey.
Full German text: http://www.literaturhaus.at/index.php?id=9510

[ Info ] Köhle, Markus: Hanno brennt. (original language: German) Milena Verlag, Vienna, 2012 . ISBN: 978-3-85286-219-4.
Übersetzt aus German