Name: The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch
ISBN: 9788086264332

Ladislav Klima

Carleton Bulkin

Presents the story of Prince Sternenhoch, the German Empire's foremost aristocat's descent into maddness through a series of journal entries.

A Grotesque Tale of Horror

The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch

Lotus

Classified by Klíma himself as a "romanetto" — a novel relating paranormal facts by later scientifically explaining them —, the theme of the surreal is broadly developed throughout the book with a few tinges of gothic horror, mainly through the demonic figure of Helga as she crawls around in all fours through the hills, but also by the plot twist at the end.

There's always an equilibrium between opposites, being beauty and wretchedness, love and hatred or light and dark. Most of the times these opposites are incredibly intertwined, as is the relationship between repulsion and love (the main force throughout the narrative). These constant contrasts make the narrative more vibrant and give the characters a more "dramatic tone" by drastically distancing themselves from the other in a grandiose way. This ends up contributing to the comedic effect of the attitudes of the characters, mainly the protagonist: Sternenhoch.

Through him, we're struck from the start by Klímas dark self-irony, as he carries the protagy as an all powerful benefactor aristocrat who tries to seduce women with his imense qualities (one being misogyny) and physique, which is involuntary ridiculed by himself when he says that he's a "beau", in spite of being toothless, hairless, short, etc.

I really liked the book and it's pacing. The dialogue can feel sometimes strange and scandalous (after it's prohibition, the book was secretly passed around by underground readers) but it's really good and I really recommend it.

The Sufferings of Prince Sternenhoch A Grotesque Tale of Horror

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