Tracing metaphysical longing through the works of Daniel Kehlmann
Abstract
Daniel Kehlmann is one of those few German-language authors who, against the general trend of postmodern literature, ask in their texts about the existence of God, His na-ture, and His role in the life of modern man. As a declared rationalist, the writer is critical of the biblical vision of the Creator. God appears to him as some mental construct that has not stood the test of time. Therefore, Kehlmann suggests replacing Him with the concept of fate or chance or returning to the ideas of the ancient philosophers: the Pythagoreans, Plato, or Aristotle. In a way, from the uselessness of the traditional notion of God stems the mocking way He is mentioned in the novels analyzed in the article. Yet despite this ironic note, what draws attention is the persistence with which the motif/theme of God is addressed in them. One can take this fact as evidence of a hidden metaphysical longing, as discussed by Augustine of Hippo, or as confirmation of Mircea Eliade's thesis that we are religious beings, and the search for Absolute Being is the primary determinant of our spiritual existence.
Keywords
Daniel Kehlmann; vision of God in postmodern literature; philosophical ideas in literature
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Jan Dlugosz University in Częstochowa (Częstochowa) Poland
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