Martin Page (2) (1975–)

Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Froh zu sein bedarf es wenig, sofern man es schafft, vor den Übeln der Welt die Augen zu verschließen. So denkt zumindest Antoine und nimmt sich vor, aktiv den Verstand zu verlieren.
Wie ein kleiner Bruder der fabelhaften Amélie stolpert der junge Antoine auf der Suche nach dem Glück durch Paris. Er hat einen Freund, der aufgrund falscher Arznei im Dunkeln leuchtet, eine lesbische Freundin, die Achterbahn fährt, um schwanger zu werden, sowie einen Vermieter, der an Alzheimer leidet und daher keine Miete mehr eintreibt.
Eigentlich könnte Antoine zufrieden sein, doch er ist einfach zu klug. Das soll sich ändern: Antoine will nicht mehr denken, und daher versucht er zunächst, Alkoholiker zu werden, dann, sich umzubringen, und schließlich, so zu werden wie alle …
In 25 Sprachen wurde der satirische Erstling von Martin Page seit seinem Erscheinen übersetzt.… (altro)

Fio Regale es una joven pelirroja de veintidós años. Reside en un espacioso apartamento parisino, adora el te sin azúcar y la nieve, pinta cuadros y se gana la vida chantajeando al azar a hombres poderosos y adinerados: no necesita decirles qué han hecho ni qué información posee ella; uno de cada diez, paga. Sin duda, lo llega en los genes: su madre era atracadora de bancos y su padre un policía que, en lugar de detenerla, prefirió enamorarse de ella. Sin embargo, pese a que Fio se quedó huérfana a los seis años, ha sabido salir adelante.… (altro)

With a title like this gracing the front cover, you might get the impression that this is a tale of wrong choices, longing for the good ole’ days and trying to figure out how it all got away.

You’d be mostly wrong…mostly.

How I Became Stupid is a tale about Antoine, who feels forever burdened by his astounding intelligence and natural curiosity about the world he inhabits. The weight of his knowledge is stifling and he longs to become one of the drooling, ignorant masses he sees around him every day. His goal by whatever means necessary is to dumb himself down into apparent nothingness in a crowd. Only then, he thinks, or deduces rather, can he find true happiness. He tries various methods and over-complicated ways to end up in places most people find themselves without thinking at all. This sarcastically comic journey follows these brave attempts to limit the reaches of his mind and the effects it has on those who know him, before and after his inclusion into the world of the stupid. Antoine is a wanderer, a rover, a vagabond of the mind, yearning for a place where his mind doesn’t run free because it sees nothing and nowhere to run to.

Martin Page, a French author, created Antoine almost as a reaction and retribution of the world of today. We cling to evolution and parade around preening in front of all other creatures, but not with our feathers or our fur, since we lost those long ago, but we preen with our minds and our reason. As a race we lord our cognitive thought over all other organisms, but Antoine shows us it comes with a hefty price tag. Martin’s novel gives us a glimpse into the mirror, a vision of someone we all hide deep in the closet who judges other people, overthinks each and every detail of the life before his eyes and who has a problem taking anything at face value. The eternal question posed by the book is whether there is a way to tone down that voice in our mind? Reel in the ego and superego and just become one with the mass consciousness, oh, and don’t forget to enjoy it as well.

This was a quick and enjoyable read, laced with wry wit, sarcasm and unique characters, people who would have to be incredibly singular just to stand hanging around Antoine in the first place. I felt the lesson I took away was you can never run away from who you really are and to be truly happy you need to start with acceptance of that fact. A tall tale indeed, but one that can be accomplished with a little time, energy and possibly a nice, creamy bar of dark chocolate.… (altro)

Wow, what an odd book! Antoine, a highly intelligent man who can't find happiness decides his intellect is in the way. He tries drinking, pills, stock trading, TV, everything. Slowly he loses his conscience and starts blending into the society around him.

Very funny at times, this book also touches upon some serious subjects such as a loss of a moral compass and what can happen when you walk blithely through life, completely unaware of how your actions affect others.

I loved the part with the suicidal woman in the hospital, btw. Hilarious. Yes, the humor is dark.

The end is bizarre.

(I've just read the other reviews. There is so much hate for this book! I loved reading the other reviews - they are clever and funny. Yes, the ending sucks!)… (altro)