First published 1971
Klingsor, a 42-year-old expressionist painter, spends his final summer in southern Switzerland, torn between his love of poetry, heavy drinking, and womanizing. As he confronts his impending death, Klingsor grapples with the conflict between his sensual nature and his spiritual yearnings. At the core, this is a portrait of a complex, flawed man facing his mortality.
Genres: drama, art, 20th-century, biographical-fiction
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, flawed-protagonist
Setting: Switzerland
224 pages · Paperback · Flamingo
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, death