Because sometimes you just have to read about an 17th century perfumer who may or may not be the Anti Christ and goes on a killing spree, before starting aa giant omnisexual fuckfest and being voluntarily cannabilized.

Ah literature. That's why I read you, the class. The class.

What a fascinating novel, a tale revolving around the sense of smell. Patrick Süskind is to be commended.

As many outstanding musicians are born with what is termed "perfect pitch," so Patrick Süskind's main character, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, is born with a unique and extraordinary sense of smell.

Since there are so many outstanding reviews already posted here, in the spirit of originality, I'll share a taste (or perhaps I should say a smell?) of what it means for smell to play such a prominent, overwhelming place in someone's life. Here's a micro-fiction from the master of the micro, Brooklyn born and bred Peter Cherches, about -

THE MAN WHO SMELLED FUNNY
There once was a man who smelled funny. He didn't smell bad, he smelled funny. Whenever he walked into a room, people would begin to laugh uncontrollably. The man didn't like the effect he had on people. He couldn't go anywhere without making people laugh. He could never have a serious conversation with anybody, because they were always laughing so hard.

The man tried everything. He tried bathing three or four times a day, but he couldn't get rid of the smell. He wore expensive cologne, but that only made him smell like a combination of expensive cologne and the funny smell.

Life was difficult for the man. Trouble followed him everywhere he went, because of his funny smell. One day the man went to the public library and the entire library broke into uproarious laughter. The librarian tried to make the people stop laughing, but even while she was putting her fingers to her lips and saying, "Shhh," she was cackling like a hyena. Finally the guard came up to the man.

"Excuse me - ha ha - Sir," the guard said, "but I'm afraid - he he he - I'm going to have to - ha ha - ask you to - ho ho ho - leave."

The man was so embarrassed he turned beet-red and rushed out of the library.

The man had trouble keeping a job too. He was a good worker, and people liked him, but his funny smell was so disruptive that little work ever got done. Whenever his bosses fired him thy laughed the whole time. "I'm so sorry - ha ha ha - to have to do this," thy would say. "I know this will be very hard on your family - guffaw guffaw guffaw."

The man who smelled funny was very sad. It wasn't his fault he smelled funny, but he couldn't keep a job because of it.

Then, one day, the man came up with a brilliant idea: he would become a stand-up comic.

The man who smelled funny got himself booked at a local comedy club. He was nervous on opening night, but the second he got on stage the entire audience began laughing wildly. He told the worst jokes imaginable: corny old jokes and pointless shaggy dog stories. And he had the audience rolling in the aisles. He was a hit.

The local newspapers gave him a rave review. "We don't know how he does it," the review said, "but he breathes new life into the oldest jokes in the business."

The man took his act on the road. He played all the best comedy clubs in the country and earned lots of money. He was living the good life.

Now the man who smelled funny was hardly ever sad. Never again would he lose a job because he made people laugh.

And he decided that he would never agree to perform his comedy act on television.

Not until they come out with Smell-O-Vision, that is.

-------

Note: The Man Who Smelled Funny is part of the Peter Cherches book: Whistler's Mother's Son

إذا كانت الترجمة خيانة للنص الأدبي - وهي خيانة مغتفرة على أية حال- فإن تحويل بعض الروايات إلى أفلام خيانة لا تُغتفر. هذا ما خطر ببالي و كاميرا المخرج الألماني "توم تايكوير" تبتعد ببطء عن مِـزَق "غرينوي" في نهاية سوريالية لقصة مربكة. لقد استثار "زوسكند" خيالي لأقصى حدوده – إن كان ثمة حدود - و جاء الفيلم ليضغطه و يحشره في إطار بدا ضيقًا بالمقارنة مع الرواية. لم تكن إمكانات المخرج متواضعة بقدر ما كان خيال الكاتب جامحًا، عصيًا على التجسيد.

مستغرقًا، متماهيًا، و بنبرة لا تخلو من السخرية، يتحدّث "زوسكند" في روايته الفانتازية المضمّخة بالعطر، عن كينونة الإنسان التي "لا نستطيع أن نثبّت فيها أنظارنا بوضوح، لأنها مموّهة مضبّبة كصورة عن قاع بحر ترتعش عليه الأمواج"، يسخر من قبح الإنسان و جماله في آن، رائحته التي تثير الحب، و تلك التي يمكن محاكاتها بمركبات تافهة، قيمته التي تضفيها عليه الثياب و حلاقة الشعر و قناع مواد التجميل، و خضوعه بشكل أو بآخر لسلطة الحواس، قلقه من التفرّد و خوفه من فقدان ما يملكه و ما قد يملكه، و عن صعوبة العزلة و صعوبة العيش بين الناس. و أثار، بقصد أو دون قصد، عددًا من الأسئلة: من نحن؟ و ماذا نريد حقًا؟ مالذي يمنحنا الرضى و يردم الهوة التي تفصلنا عن الآخرين؟

كانت البطولة المطلقة للعطر، و إن كان ثمة بطل ثانوي فهو أنف "غرينوي" لا "غرينوي" نفسه، الركام البشري المهمّش، المعذّب، البائس، الذي لا تتجاوز قيمة حياته قيمة العمل الذي يؤديه، و الذي تعوزه الرائحة الخاصة رغم حاسته الخارقة في الشمّ من مسافات بعيدة، و قدرته على جمع آلاف الروائح النوعية و الاحتفاظ بها جلية بحيث " لا يتذكرها فقط إذا شمها من جديد، بل يشمّها فعلا إذا تذكرها". و لأن "من يبقى على قيد الحياة بعد ولادته في القمامة لا يستسلم بسهولة لمجاريف الحياة", تخبّط "غرينوي" في طريق وعر، متأبطًا حصته من الإهانة بكل صورها، إلى أن أمسك بطرف الخيط في شارع "دي ماريه"، و مضى بإصرار يناقض عدم اكتراثه الظاهري نحو الهدف الذي حقّقه أخيرًا، و حقّق به موته.

لم يرتكب "غرينوي" أخطاءه لتسوية الخلافات، أو لتحقيق مكاسب شخصية كما فعلت السيدة "غايار" مثلاً، أو الدباغ "غريمال" أو العطّار "بالديني" و غيرهم، كان كل ما يريده هو التعبير عن داخله، و الانسجام مع النسق ذي الرائحة الجبنية الحامضة؛ أن يلاحظ الناس وجوده، و يتخلّص من الشعور بأنه "بيضة الديك". لكنه أدرك متأخرًا، وهو يقف على منصّة الإعدام -بعد أن عبّر عن داخله و التفت الناس إليه- بأنه لا يجد الرضى في الحب الذي أفرزته الرائحة، و إذا كان اخت��اقها لم يمنحه السعادة، أو يردم الهوة السحيقة التي تسكنه و تحيط به، فلا بأس من الموت بها، و هذا ما حدث لاحقًا.

في هذا المشهد، يثير "زوسكند" سؤالاً آخر: هل الحب ردّة فعل كيميائية أكثر من كونه متعلقّا بالقلب و ناتجًا عن استحقاق؟ "ها هو جان باتيست غرينوي، المولود دون رائحة في أنتن بقعة في العالم، المتحدّر من القمامة و الخراء و العفن، الناشئ دون حب، الحي دون روح إنسانية دافئة، المتشكّل من العناد و طاقة القرف، الضئيل، القميء، الضالع، القبيح، المتحاشي، النذل في داخله و خارجه، بلغ لأن يحبه العالم أجمعين". لكن هذا الحب لم يرضِ "غرينوي"، و بخلاف المأمول "تصاعد فيه القرف من الإنسان و دسّ المرارة في نصره، فلا يمتنع عليه الفرح فحسب، بل ولا يشعر حتى بالتشفي. فما كان يحلم به، حب الناس، صار في لحظة النصر عبئًا لا يُطاق".

أدهشني كمّ الروائح الهائل و تركيباتها و وصف عمليات التقطير و مراحل إعداد العطر و فلسفته. فكرتُ وأنا أقرأ بأنه إن لم يكن "زوسكند" عطّارًا في وقتٍ مضى من حياته، فإنه كتبها إما بمساعدة عطّار، أو عفريت :)

أحببتُ فكرته و تدفقه و لغته و أسلوبه و تمكّنه التامّ من الكتابة، و أشعر بالامتنان لـ "كاميران حوج" لأنه نجح في إيصال ذلك كله بشكل لا يدعو للأسف على تعذّر قراءتها بالألمانية.

أخيرًا، إن كان عليّ الاعتراف بشيء في نهاية هذه المراجعة، أعترف بأنني أصبحتُ أنفخ منخري أنفي كلما وصلني خيط رائحة، في محاولة لسحبها كاملة و الامتلاء بها قبل أن أزفرها للخارج، و كأنني أكتشف قدرتي على الشمّ للمرة الأولى، أو أستعيدها بعد حرمان. آمل أن أكفّ عن ذلك في القريب العاجل، وألا تتحوّل إلى عادة. كما أعترف بأنني تشمّمت باطن مرفقي – أكثر من مرة- بحثًا عن رائحتي الخاصة التي يزعم "زوسكند" بأنها أوضح ما تكون في هذا المكان :)

This book was different and brilliant. The story of an orphaned boy born without a scent, but with an incredibly refined sense of smell, the book drags a bit in parts, but the ends justify the means, in more ways than one.

All things considered, the book is a valentine to the beauty, elegance, and power of smell. A truly underrated sense, Suskind reminds the reader of just how powerful an effect our sense of smell can have. Although Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (one of the great names in contemporary fiction)'s amazing sense of smell seems the sort of thing that is unquantifiable in most any medium, Suskind makes it work perfectly. His vivid descriptions almost evoke the smells he is describing into reality, and his characterization of Grenouille is nothing short of perfect.

Grenouille is, of course, an abhorrent, vicious, loathsome character, and Suskind takes great pains to point this out literally at various intervals throughout the story. However, despite his actions and the way he is described, Suskind cleverly says one thing and shows another, presenting Grenouille as the unquestioned hero of the story, allowing him to come across as, at the very least, sympathetic (if not pitiable), and at most, a man whose single-minded drives and desires leads to the reader outright rooting for him to succeed in his horrific acts.

As the subtitle of the book is 'The Story of a Murderer', I don't think it gives anything away to say that the book climaxes in the brutal murders of 25 women that Grenouille uses to create the most perfect smelling perfume the world has ever known. Despite all the difficulties Grenouille encounters, all the opposition and roadblocks (and it's indisputably true that Grenouille was dealt a bad hand in life), he still takes his lumps admirably and never wavers from his pursuit of his dream, which, at its heart, is something I think everyone aspires to be able to do. Furthermore, when Grenouille finally does achieve his dream, he is heartbroken to discover that, after everything, it was not what he'd envisioned. Sadly, I think that is something people can relate to as well. And so it is that the story of a murderer ends up as something everyone can relate to.

One of the ways Suskind is able to so perfectly pull this off is to disassociate Grenouille from these abhorrent acts. Throughout the story, we see only Grenouille striving and working hard to achieve his goal. Then, at the cusp of putting it into motion, the story suddenly changes perspective from the actions of Grenouille to their aftermath and the perspective of the local townspeople. It's a jarring and effective method that allows the reader to still root for Grenouille, as they still are very much aware that Grenouille is responsible for these horrific actions, but disassociates him from the brutality of them by only speaking of them in an offhand manner (i.e. the chaos they create, rather than the actual detailed acts themselves).

All that said, the end of the book is insane, but wonderfully so. It's completely out of left field and it's almost hard to accept that what is happening is real and not some sort of dream (which it isn't). The reader is left waiting for the moment when Grenouille opens his eyes and we're told what really happened, but it never comes. Compared to the climax, the end of the story almost makes perfect sense, when in any other story it would be seen as equally insane, if not more so. But don't let it detract you from reading the book. It's true, you'll either love it or hate it, but no matter what you'll be unable to say it wasn't worthwhile.

This book had me like...


Unlike anything I've ever read, but I loved it. Especially the whole last chapter had me laughing morbidly at scenes the author probably did not intend to be satire. The circumstances of Jean-Baptiste's birth and upbringing were also hilariously awful to me.
During the rest of the book my general reaction was this:


I wasn't sure if I was gonna be sent straight to hell for rooting for the main character so I tried to keep my opinion out of the general reading process. (I say this because Jean-Baptiste murders several innocent people and despises every person he meets in the entire story. Not a role model.)

Overall, good book, not for the faint of heart.

Гренуй и историята му са уникални!

There are some books which can be called unique. They may be good, bad or indifferent: but their authors strike out from the trodden paths of narrative themes and structure to explore totally new vistas, so that the product becomes unique. Perfume by Patrick Suskind is such a book.

Jean Baptiste Grenouille is "an abominable and gifted personage, in an era which was not lacking in abominable and gifted personages". Born a bastard in the stinking heart of the city of Paris in the eighteenth century under a gutting table, the first cry he utters sends his mother to the scaffold for abandoning an infant. Grenouille grows up by sucking many wet nurses dry, survives the horrendous childhood of an orphan in an age without mercy, and grows up to become a successful perfumer. For this is his unique gift: the child who does not emit any smell himself is blessed with extraordinary olfactory capabilities, which allows him to recognise, separate and catalogue in his mind all the different odours he comes into contact with.

But simple identification is not enough for Jean. He is driven by the insatiable urge to possess any smell he likes for himself; he will move heaven and earth to extract it from its origin, make a perfume out of it and keep it with him. He is not bothered that the object which originates the smell will be destroyed in the process of extraction: he is a "smell-vampire". And like a vampire, it is the smell of virgins which drives him wild. Ultimately, Grenouille's gift and single-minded obsession proves to be the cause of both his uplift and undoing...

Suskind has written a gripping novel which will hook and pull the reader in from the first sentence onwards. However, this is not a simple horror story or thriller: it has got layers of meaning hidden beneath one another which will come out on careful reading.

Jean Baptiste Grenouille is a masterly creation. His insatiable thirst for smells makes him a truly terrifying "collector": one who cannot enjoy his passion the normal way, but must possess the object of his desire (I was reminded of Frederick Clegg in John Fowles' "The Collector") completely. The fact that he lacks a characteristic odour himself enhances his vampiric nature. Also, all the people who profit from him come to a grisly end, like the poor misguided souls who make a pact with the devil.

Joseph Campbell has made the slogan "Follow your bliss" very popular - but how to know whether your bliss is good or bad? I have always wondered about the concept of "negative bliss". Both Gandhi and Hitler could have been said to be following their bliss in different ways. While reading this novel, I was struck by the realisation that the difference is in one's attitude. If one is doing it because one cannot be doing anything else - following one's karma, if you want to put it that way - then it is bliss. But if one is driven by an insatiable need which feeds on itself, one ends up being a vampire. Ultimately, it consumes oneself.

Highly recommended.

I had a heck of a time thinking who I'd recommend this to. It won a Fantasy award, yet I can't call it Fantasy. It's set in a bygone period, but it doesn't play with history, so it's not Historical Fiction. It's about a murder, yet it's not terrifying like Horror, nor is it a mystery. It's just the story of a peculiar boy who became a dangerous and most interesting man. He was born without an odor, you see, and lacking that part of identity, became obsessed with smell. That identity crisis triggers philosophical, religious and morbid chords in the book, yet none dominate. If anything, a dark curiosity dominates it. The book has a slightly menacing monotone about it that is almost hypnotic, and lays a surreal lens over the brilliant and crisp descriptions Suskind provides for his world. It's an angry, dangerous little book that baffled literary critics and inspired Nirvana. Read it and label it for yourself.

"فى راجل بيطفى الست و راجل بينورها , انا باعملها كولونيا "
- جان باتيست غرنوي

من اين لك بهذة الفكرة يا زوسكند !!
قرائتى الاولي لزوسكند كانت نوفيلا "الحمامة"و فيها نواجه الضعف و الخوف الانسانى الذى يجعلك تتقوقع على نفسك و تهرب من المجتمع و من التجربة فتصبح اثير روتينك اليومى الرتيب على ان تخرج من عزلتك اما فى قرائتى الثانية له فى العطر تطرق زوسكند الى اشياء كثيرة اولها البحث عن الهوية ،ايضاً سؤال مهم هل الموهبة و الهبة التى يتميز بها شخص بعينه , عندما يتبع شغفه هل هذا يؤدى دائما الى افضل النتائج ام من الممكن ان تكون هذة الموهبة هى سبب شقائك و فنائك !! .

جان باتيست غرنوي الشخصية التى تحب ان تكرهها و تكره ان تحبها .
روايات قليلة تجعلك تتأمل شخصياتها بتمعن و تذهب بخيالك بعيداً فى محاولة لفهم ابعاد الشخصية ،هذا النوع من الشخصيات الذى يجعلك تتعاطف معه مبكراً و تشفق عليه و تتمنى ان يخرج من هذا العالم المؤبوه الذى به من الروائح ما يجعلك تتقيئ و من الشخصيات ما يجعلك تفقد ايمانك بالعالم ثم تدريجياً يولد بداخلك اشمئزاز لم ينفك ان يصبح كره و شر فتتمنى ان ينال جزاءه سريعا لكن بداخلك تتمنى ان ينجو ايضاً و يجد ذاته فى عالم نبذه مع ولادته و لم يشفق عليه برائحه له تجعله معترف به او شخصية حتى تميزه .

جان باتيست غرنوي المولود بلا رائحة فى اكثر اماكن العالم رائحة فى سوق شعبى يحتوى على ابشع الروائح الكريهة وسط القمامة و بقايا السمك و فضلات البشر الذى لم يعرف الحب فبالتالى لم يتكون عنده الاحاسيس الطبيعة لاى طفل من براءة و شفقة بل عاش فى عالم يكرهه و يتجنبه و يشمئز من منظره البشع و عرجه و ضئالته ، فاصبح يحتقر البشر فى المقابل و لا يراهم الا روائح تغذى شهوته حتى ارتقى بانفه فاصبح يبحث عن قلة قليلة تنبع بالحب فهولاء من كان يشتهيهم و هم عبق البشرية الذى كان يصبو اليه فى محاولة لايجاد ذاته ايضا و رائحته الشخصية .

“بوسع البشر أن يغمضوا أعينهم أمام ماهو عظيم أو جميل، وأن يغلقوا آذانهم أمام الألحان والكلام المعسول ولكن ليس بوسعهم الهروب من العبق لأنه شقيق الشهيق، معه يدخل إلى ذواتهم، ولايستطيعون صدّه إن رغبوا بالبقاء على قيد الحياة، إنه يدخل إلى أعماقهم، الى القلب مباشرة، حيث يتم الفصل الحاسم بين الميل اليه أو احتقاره، بين القرف منه أو الرغبة فيه، بين حبه أو كرهه و ذلك الذى يهيمن على الروائح ليسيطر على قلوب البشر" .

n
شغف غرنوى و انفه الذى لا مثيل له الذى يجذبه الى اول ضحاياه التى تجبه بعبقها الملهم بالحب فيحاول الامساك به و الاحتفاظ به لكنه ينسل من بين ايديه عندما تموت بين يديه فتختفى رائحتها كالسراب من بين يديه يجعله يثور و يكاد ان يموت كمداً حتى يلتقى بالديني العطار فيمده بالوصفات العطرية فى مقابل تعليمه كيف يحتفظ بالرائحة و بشهادة منه يواصل رحلته الى مدينة الروائح ليتعلم كيف يحتفظ بالجمال فى عالم مليئ بالروائح الجميلة و منها تبدا رحلته الفعلية و شذوذه و جنونه المطلق .

" هذا العالم وحده الذى كان يعترف به لانه يشابه عالم روحه . "

n
قد تخدعك الرواية بانها رواية جريمة نظراً لعنوانها العطر : قصة قاتل ، لكنها ابعد ما يكون عن الجريمة و تيمة التحقيق , الرواية اعمق من هذا بكثير و سوف تثير فى نفسك التساؤلات فلسفية و سوف تشتتك بغرائبيتها , رواية ظلامية لا وجود للسعادة بها و لكنها ليست كئيبة ايضاً , هى عن عالم تتمنى ان يطواه النسيان كما طوئ جان باتيست .

احببت الرواية و زوسكند لازال يبهرنى بطريقة سرده و وصفه جعلت الكلمات ذات رائحة نفاذة لا اريد ان تزول و النهاية جائت حسن الختام فى رواية لن تنسى و فكرتها سوف تطاردنى كثيراً .

4.0 Stars
This was an interesting unsettling dark fiction classic. It was strange and gripping. I often make the incorrect assumption that older books weren't dark so these kinds of stories help to debunk those ideas.

The focus on smells is great. I'll keep this around for whenever I need words to describe scents.

The story is ok. A bit unnecessarily grim. A bit dated and sexist. There's some great biting humor and some clunky dialogue.

But stinky Paris and the world of smells? Fantastic.

this book sounded really interesting, but i really didn't like it. couldn't wait to be done with it, but also had a hard time just finishing it cause i really didn't like it. felt like the writing and plot was just very amateurish. hopefully the movie is better.