Schattenfroh

by Michael Lentz, Max Lawton (Translator)

Overview

An intricate, metaphysical, ambitious “psychogeography of the self” that both disrupts and elevates the 21st century vision of the novel.

Our narrator is held in complete darkness and isolation. His endless thoughts are turned into the book we are reading—Schattenfroh—directed by none other than the narrator’s mysterious jailer by the same name. Undulating through explorations of Renaissance art, the German reformation, time-defying esoterica, the printing process in the 16th century, Kabbalistic mysticism, and beyond, Schattenfroh is a remarkable book that, in turn, asks the remarkable of its readers. 

Interruptions, breaks, and annotations both buoy and deceive, and endless historical references, literary allusions, and wordplay construct a baroque, encyclopedic quest. Schattenfroh’s publication in English marks a seminal moment in the history of the literary form.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646053827
Publisher:	Deep Vellum Publishing
Publication date:	09/02/2025
Pages:	1001
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Michael Lentz is an award-winning German author, musician, and performer of experimental texts and sound poetry. Schattenfroh is his first book to be translated into English. He currently lives in Berlin.

Max Lawton is a translator, novelist, and musician. He has translated many books by Vladimir Sorokin, including Blue Lard (NYRB Classics), Their Four Hearts, and Dispatches from the District Committee (both from Dalkey Archive Press).

Editorial Reviews

"A novel of titanic ambition, Schattenfroh draws on the esoteric, overlooked corners of human history to trace the thoughts of one man wrestling with existence. Elegant in its thematic layerings, massive in scope, and replete with baffling linguistic skill, this is a literary landmark." —Foreword Reviews, starred review

"Lentz takes readers on a deep exploration of the relationship between art, language, suffering, and redemption. For those willing to go the distance, this monumental and taxing work offers rich rewards." —Publishers Weekly

"Schattenfroh is a deep and mighty book that forces the reader to not only think of the word 'metaphysics,' but to feel with their own skin its fearsome presence in our world." —Vladimir Sorokin

"What competition can we talk about when dealing with perhaps the greatest German-language novel of the 21st century up to now? This in equal measure baroque and surrealist explosion of a novel belongs to the pantheon of the best works of world literature published in the past two decades." —The Untranslated

"The novel Schattenfroh is without a doubt one of the most interesting experiments in German-language literature in recent years. … Schattenfroh is a prose work which goes far, far beyond the affairs of the current literary scene." —Andreas Puff-Trojan, SWR2 Archivradio

"Depending on how you look at it, it is a genius, insane, dark or ridiculous book before which one can only helplessly surrender." —Andrea Köhler, Die Zeit

"Schattenfroh is a wonder of technique and cultural meaning every bit as solid and fragile as a sculpture by Da Vinci. Its appearance marks bravura performances by Lentz and Lawton, with special thanks to Will Evans at Deep Vellum." —The Book Beat

From the Publisher