THE HILARITY OF DEATH
The art of finding joyous moments in the face of death, including the rare pleasure of cake, and playing soccer with unearthed century-old skulls
CONVERSING WITH WHITE-NOSE
Witnessing a funeral on a beautiful summer day, the boy and a young girl contemplate death, Adam and Eve, and the sense and nonsense of the original sin
THE ADVENTURE OF THE PEREGRINE FALCON
The boy's adventures include encountering a black-skinned human being for the first time in his life, and culminate in rescuing an entangled bird of prey from the heights of a tall tree
THE AMAZING MAZE OF MIRRORS AND MYSTERIES
The reflections in a house of mirrors at a summer carnival bring the boy face to face with his values, struggles, and the challenges of life in a post-war society
The narrative in Klaus P. Kinast's coming-of-age stories in post-war Germany sheds light on the emotional, intellectual, and physical challenges of children of that era. While painting a detailed backdrop of everyday life, the stories are filled with parables and chanting allegories, originating from the mind of a very imaginative, thoughtful young boy.
Blessed by benign adult negligence during the rebuilding efforts after WWII and embedded into the complex social structure of a small farming community, the stories' main character enjoys the intensity of minute yet deeply sensual details of a boyhood far removed from adult supervision.
It's the 'Little Prince' meets 'Huckleberry Finn' in adventures somewhat reminiscent of the character and mores of Wilhelm Busch.
