A puzzling phone call shatters a writer s routine. An enigmatic female voice ext
ends a dinner invitation, and it soon becomes clear that this is an invitation t
o take part in the documenta, the legendary exhibition of contemporary art held
every five years in Kassel, Germany. The writer s mission will be to sit down to
write every morning in a Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of town, transform
ing himself into a living art installation. Once in Kassel, the writer is surpri
sed to find himself overcome by good cheer as he strolls through the city, spurr
ed on by the endless supply of energy at the heart of the exhibition. This is hi
s spontaneous, quirky response to art, rising up against pessimism.With humor, p
rofundity, and a sharp eye, Enrique Vila-Matas tells the story of a solitary man
, who, roaming the streets amid oddities and wonder, takes it upon himself to tr
anslate from a language he does not understand."
