The Director

Recommended by Jeffrey McDonough, Young J. Lee and Young Ju Rhee Professor of Philosophy

Daniel Kehlmann has been my favorite German author since I first encountered his work during a sabbatical in Germany many years ago. “The Director” is a wonderful example of what makes his work so compelling. It tells the story of G.W. Pabst, one of the great directors of Weimar cinema. Pabst fled Nazi Germany for Hollywood but later returned to Europe and found himself stranded in the regime he had once escaped. Like much of Kehlmann’s work, the novel weaves together half-remembered history, philosophical insight, and a wonderfully absurdist sense of humor. Its central theme feels especially timely: How do artists, intellectuals, and ordinary people make their peace with political power they find unconscionable — and where does accommodation end and complicity begin?