''Kleinzeit'' is a metaphysical novel by

Russell Hoban Russell Conwell Hoban (February 4, 1925 – December 13, 2011) was an American writer. His works span many genres, including fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magical realism, poetry, and children's books. He lived in London fro ...

Plot introduction

Hoban's second novel for adults, ''Kleinzeit'' is a story detailing the eponymous title character's brush with illness and creativity. When Kleinzeit is fired from his job as an advertising copy-writer, he ends up in hospital with a ‘skewed hypotenuse’, being tended by the healthy and desirable Sister. Together, they embark on a strange adventure, in which Kleinzeit struggles to get better, attempts to master his creative urges, and holds conversations with a variety of abstract concepts. The central character shares many traits with Hoban himself, and the author has commented: ‘I think there's most of me in ''Kleinzeit''’.

Characters in ''Kleinzeit''

*Kleinzeit – the central character, whose name means ‘smalltime’ in German *Sister – a nurse at the hospital, who begins a relationship with Kleinzeit *Redbeard – a homeless busker who leaves Kleinzeit a sheet of yellow paper, and ends up in the same hospital ward

Major themes

Kleinzeit's physical illness and his creative urges are linked in the novel, an identification strengthened by the fact that all the diseases suffered by patients on Kleinzeit's ward (ward A4, like the paper) are literary, geometric or musical terms: he himself has a painful

hypotenuse In geometry, a hypotenuse is the side of a right triangle opposite to the right angle. It is the longest side of any such triangle; the two other shorter sides of such a triangle are called '' catheti'' or ''legs''. Every rectangle can be divided ...

and diapason and develops a faulty

stretto The Italian term ''stretto'' (plural: ''stretti'') has two distinct meanings in music: # In a fugue, ''stretto'' () is the imitation of the subject in close succession, so that the answer enters before the subject is completed.Apel, Willi, ed. ( ...

, while other patients suffer from

hendiadys Hendiadys () is a figure of speech used for emphasis—"The substitution of a conjunction for a subordination". The basic idea is to use two words linked by the conjunction "and" instead of the one modifying the other. Hendiadys in English is ...

or ‘imbricated

noumena In philosophy, a noumenon (, ; from ; : noumena) is knowledge posited as an object that exists independently of human sense. The term ''noumenon'' is generally used in contrast with, or in relation to, the term ''phenomenon'', which refers to ...

’. The terror and allure of creativity are symbolised by the mysterious yellow paper, which Redbeard passes on to Kleinzeit. Kleinzeit's relationship with a blank piece of paper is depicted as a sexual romance, with the writing process seen as a consummation, albeit that Kleinzeit is cuckolded by the personification of Word. Many abstract concepts are similarly personified, including Death, Hospital, the (London)

Underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * Buenos Aires Underground, a rapid transit system * London Underground, a rapid transit system * ...

(which is associated with the myth of

Orpheus In Greek mythology, Orpheus (; , classical pronunciation: ) was a Thracians, Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet. He was also a renowned Ancient Greek poetry, poet and, according to legend, travelled with Jason and the Argonauts in se ...

), Action and God.

Allusions/references to other works

As with many of Hoban's works, a number of other literary and mythical works are referred to, including: *the myth of

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice', classical pronunciation: ) was a character in Greek mythology and the wife of Orpheus, whom Orpheus tried to bring back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several ...

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...

's poem ''

L'Allegro ''L'Allegro'' is a pastoral poem by John Milton published in his 1645 ''Poems''. ''L'Allegro'' (which means "the happy man" in Italian) has from its first appearance been paired with the contrasting pastoral poem, '' Il Penseroso'' ("the mela ...

'' (which itself refers to Orpheus and Eurydice) *

Thucydides Thucydides ( ; ; BC) was an Classical Athens, Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts Peloponnesian War, the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been d ...

's work the ''

History of the Peloponnesian War The ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' () is a historical account of the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), which was fought between the Peloponnesian League (led by Sparta) and the Delian League (led by Classical Athens, Athens). The account, ...

Release details

*1974, London: Jonathan Cape *2002, London: Bloomsbury {{ISBN, 0-7475-5641-5, paperback

External links