Home / Authors / Daniel Kehlmann Biography

Daniel Kehlmann

Daniel Kehlmann Biography

Author

Daniel Kehlmann, born on January 13, 1975, is an acclaimed Austrian author known for his unique perspective and profound thinking across various fields such as history, philosophy, and literature.

Daniel Kehlmann, born on January 13, 1975, is an acclaimed Austrian author known for his unique perspective and profound thinking across various fields such as history, philosophy, and literature.

Related Quotes

“Natürlich, es ist das Ende, und wir sterben. Aber das heißt nicht, dass wir nicht noch lange da sein, andere Menschen finden, spazierengehen, nachts träumen und alles erledigen können, was eine Marionette so tut.”

Endearment Daniel Ich Kaminski Kehlmann

Book:Ich und Kaminski

Source: Ich und Kaminski

“Geschichten in Geschichten in Geschichten. Man weiß nie, wo eine endet und eine andere beginnt! In Wahrheit fließen alle ineinander. Nur in Büchern sind sie säuberlich getrennt.”

Philosophie Geschichte Ruhm

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“In diesem Moment begriff er, daß niemand den Verstand benutzen wollte. Menschen wollten Ruhe. Sie wollten essen und schlafen, und sie wollten, daß man nett zu ihnen war. Denken wollten sie nicht.”

Menschen Denken Wünsche Verstand Bedürfnisse

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“Auf dem Rückweg fragte er sich, ob je ein Tag kommen würde, an dem Menschen miteinander umgehen könnten, ohne zu lügen.”

Menschen Wahrheit Lügen

Book:Measuring the World

Source: Measuring the World

“Die Dinge sind, wie sie sind, und wenn wir sie erkennen, sind sie genauso, wie wenn es andere tun oder keiner.”

Wissenschaft Erkenntnis Fortschritt Entdeckungen

Book:Measuring the World

Source: Measuring the World

“Sen mä vaan sanon, että jollei meikä olis näin rauhallinen tyyppi, niin siis joskus tosissaan pumppu haulikko, helvetti irti, niska laukaus ja murha poltto, ja täyttä häkää sittekki.”

Huumori Aggressiot Nörtit Viha Yhdyssanat Yhdyssanavirheet

Book:Ruhm. Ein Roman in neun Geschichten

Source: Ruhm. Ein Roman in neun Geschichten

“A neglect of one's sentimental education early in life could bear the most unfortunate fruit.”

Bears Fruit Neglect Unfortunate Sentimental

Book:Measuring the World: A Novel

Source: Measuring the World: A Novel

“I wanted to write a book that would leave open many riddles and mysteries, even to me. Of course in some cases I do know the answers, but in many others I don't know and don't want to know.”

Knows Want Writing Book Wanted Courses Answers Cases Mystery Riddle

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“Usually I work out the plot before I start. This time I thought: Writers always talk about not knowing where a book is going - -I want to experience that, too. What I found out is that it's very interesting, but it takes much longer because you have so many false starts. You take wrong turns and you have to go back and start the whole chapter, or the whole section, from scratch.”

Want Book Whole Turns Found Interesting Knowing Work Out Plot Chapters Not Knowing Sections Scratches Very Interesting Wrong Turn

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“When I write a book I'm always questioning the project as a whole. I always feel I might have to just throw it away and forget about it, and I've done that with novels I've started and worked on for a long time. It's an option I need in order to write freely.”

Needs Feels Writing Long Book Done Whole Might Order Forget Novel Projects Long Time Questioning

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“For a while I never show anybody what I'm writing, and during that time I need the feeling that publishing is only an option. I might publish this, I might not. I think if I had to publish it, I might panic.”

Ifs Thinking Needs Writing Shows Feelings Might Panic Publishing Publish

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“You say fate is almost indispensable to literature - I think it's completely indispensable, at least in a novel, because a novel always has a plot. Even if nothing happens, even if someone just spends a day walking around Dublin, or whatever, there's still something going on.”

Ifs Thinking Stills Happens Literature Novel Fate Walking Things Happen Plot Indispensable Dublin

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“So the fact that there's someone who's planning what happens to the characters, writing it down, means that the characters always have a fate. And when we think about fate, we tend think of it as the thing we would have if we were literary characters, that is, if there were somebody out there, writing us.”

Ifs Thinking Writing Mean Character Facts Happens Fate Planning Literary Characters

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“When I look at life I try to be as agnostic and unmetaphysical as possible. So I have to admit that, most probably, we do not have a fate. But I think that's something that draws us to novels - that the characters always have a fate. Even if it's a terrible fate, at least they have one.”

Ifs Thinking Trying Looks Character Novel Fate Terrible Draws Agnostic

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“We think in terms of fate even if we don't believe in it. Even something as trivial as missing the bus - we think: Well, it might be good for something. We always have that thought, no matter how critical we try to be. The idea that everything is always total chance - we're not made for that.”

Ifs Thinking Trying Believe Wells Made Ideas Matter Might Term Chance Fate Missing Don't Believe Critical Be Good Bus

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“Exactly as we might ask God, and do ask God, to change our fate. The difference is that in the story the writer actually replies and in the end even changes his mind.”

Mind Ends Stories Might Asks Differences Fate

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“One of the points where the art world is at its most metaphysical is in this weird aspect of the power of the expert. There are experts who claim they cannot be fooled because they have an inner connection to an artist and can feel whether something is genuine or fake. I've heard experts say, on panels: When it comes to my period, or my painters, I cannot be fooled. And of course that's completely ridiculous.”

World Feels Art Artist Courses Heard Periods Aspect Connections Claims Ridiculous Genuine Painter Fake Experts Metaphysical Fooled Art World

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“It's also one of these strange points where metaphysics converges with economy. Because really what the experts are doing is creating value by banishing doubt. All great dead painters basically have this one person, this expert who has the metaphysical power to grant a seal of authenticity.”

Persons Values Economy Doubt Strange Creating Authenticity Painter Experts Grants Metaphysics Metaphysical Seals Creating Value

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“I think that's just what happens when you write a big bestseller. After that you need to find out: What's the best way to go on? And the worst thing you could do would be to try to repeat the formula. That would be suffocating.”

Thinking Way Needs Writing Trying Bigs Happens Would Be Worst Goes On Best Way Repeats Formulas Worst Things Suffocating

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“I'm trying to exploit the bestseller, in a way, but not in the sense of repeating the formula. It's just that the bestseller did so well economically that now I'm freer to do what I want to do, or to try out what I want to try out.”

Way Want Trying Wells Formulas Exploits

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“German can take a lot more pathos than English can. When you say "pathetic" in English it's a disparaging term, but when you say "pathetisch" in German it's just a description, not necessarily negative. That says a lot already.”

Term Negative Description Pathetic Pathos Disparaging

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“English is much drier. You can get away with a lot less. Pathos, lyricism, these are things you have to tone down if you want the English version of the book to work.”

Ifs Want Book Versions Tone Get Away Pathos

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“English has a better way with colloquialisms. It has colloquialisms that are colorful and expressive but not too heavy or distracting. In German, if you use colloquialisms, it quickly descends into some kind of dialect literature.”

Ifs Way Kind Use Literature Heavy Better Ways Colorful Expressive Dialect

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“Also, whenever you have direct speech, and I don't quite know why, but it always gets better in English. Dialogue, the flow of dialogue, English just has a better way with it.”

Knows Way Speech Flow Direct Dialogue Get Better Better Ways

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“When you translate the American writers who are best with dialogue into German - someone like Elmore Leonard, or Tom Wolfe, who's also quite good with dialogue. It's very hard to translate them well.”

Wells Hard Dialogue Toms Translate American Writer

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“Usually the German translators do something terrible, especially with Tom Wolfe, which is that they make it local. So if the characters are from Harlem, the translators put all this Berlin slang into their mouths, and that's just terrible. You cringe when you read that. But there really is no good solution to the problem, except learning English.”

Ifs Character Problem Terrible Solutions Mouths Locals Toms Berlin Harlem Translators Cringe Slang Learning English

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“I think I can work anywhere, but you don't get the same kind of inspiration everywhere. New York theater has become a big inspiration for me. I only started writing for the stage myself because I like to see the good, mostly off-Broadway plays in New York.”

Thinking Writing Kind I Can Play Bigs Inspiration Stage New York Theater Broadway

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“I really just wanted to write about three brothers. When you do that, though, it gives you this wonderful opportunity to tie together different social milieus, because siblings usually move into different worlds as they grow up.”

World Giving Writing Different Together Moving Opportunity Growing Up Wonderful Brother Sibling

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“It was both odd and unjust, a real example of pitiful arbitrariness of existance, that you were born into a particular time & held prisoner there whether you wanted it or not. It gave you an indecent advantage over the past and made you a clown vis-a-vis the future.”

Made Real Wanted Past Born Example Particular Advantage Odd Prisoner Unjust Clown Over The Past Pitiful

Author:Daniel Kehlmann

“People who have experienced nothing love to tell stories while people who have experienced a great deal suddenly have no stories to tell at all.”

People Stories Deals

Book:Fame: A Novel in Nine Episodes

Source: Fame: A Novel in Nine Episodes

About the Author

Born: January 13, 1975
Known for: Author
Quotes: 30

Related Topics

Ifs Thinking Writing Fate Book Might Trying Want Way Character

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Measuring the WorldRelated source material

Fame: A Novel in Nine EpisodesRelated source material

Ich und KaminskiRelated source material

Measuring the World: A NovelRelated source material

Ruhm. Ein Roman in neun GeschichtenRelated source material

Similar Authors

Paul AusterBrowse related quotes
George SaundersBrowse related quotes
Joyce Carol OatesBrowse related quotes
Stephen KingBrowse related quotes
Salman RushdieBrowse related quotes
John IrvingBrowse related quotes
Flannery O'ConnorBrowse related quotes
Elmore LeonardBrowse related quotes
Lynne TillmanBrowse related quotes
Anne TylerBrowse related quotes