Chapters (69)
- Copyright Notice
- THE MILLENNIUM
- DON
- HANNAH
- KAREN
- DON’S MOTHER
- PETER
- THE MOTHER
- DR. BROWN
- HANNAH’S FATHER
- SERGEJ
- MOTHER
- THE RUSSIAN
- THOME
- THE RED DEER
- THOME’S FATHER
- WALTER
- KAREN’S BIG BROTHER
- PATUK
- OLD WOMAN
- POLICEWOMAN
- BEFORE THE INTERMISSION
- INTERMISSION
- HUMANITY
- SIR ERNEST (EARL)
- COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT
- PROGRAMMER
- MA WEI
- CARL
- THE FRIENDS (BEN, KEMAL, PAVEL, MAGGY, RACHEL)
- BODYCAM MAN
- MAGGY
- MR. M.
- ROGER
- THE AVERAGE ENGLISHMAN
- THE LAB DIRECTOR
- HONEST MAN
- JOB NOMADS
- COURIER
- BOXER
- ATTACKERS
- THE EIGHT-YEAR-OLD PROSTITUTE
- KEVIN
- SWEATING MAN
- BERTA AND HENRY’S
- RACHEL
- YOUNG MEN
- ARTHUR
- STUDENT
- ROB
- A WOMAN
- PHILOSOPHER
- THE MATTRESS SELLER
- ABDULLAH B.
- THE PRO-LIFERS
- PROFESSOR DR. KUHN
- JON
- PROFESSOR
- MIDDLE-AGED TEACHER
- WOMAN WITH THE THINNING HAIR
- BANKER
- THE CHILD
- THE NEW PRIME MINISTER
- MADAME CECILIE
- THE JOURNALIST
- THE WORLD
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- Newsletter Sign-up
I haven’t talked about myself. Which is normal for people in my position. You see, the thing is as follows: When one deals full time with the surveillance of failed life plans, one very quickly comes to the conclusion that there’s nothing more ridiculous than opinions or life plans or—doesn’t matter—people. With their so-called aspirations and their priorities. Their conversations and actions, which, after all, primarily consist of the fact that people shit someplace. I can’t take anyone seriously. It’s a job-related affliction. No psychological shock over the liquidation of a few subjects, no mourning, just—ridiculousness. I observe myself in every act, in every word, in existence. And can barely stand it. Professionally I know that anything of seeming importance can be terminated in seconds by, for instance, imprisonment. A trial or none, a hearing or then again none, a cell, a little torture, an open pit in the dirt, and that’s all that’s left of us. A helpless pile of biomass. Everyone wants only: sensations they can’t fabricate. And they try so hard. Be it through sex or intellectual work, through murder, brutality, auto racing. They try to relocate the excitement that humans lost when they started settling in place. When they started carrying out duties every day. This much is certain, the sensations they wish to reach will never be attained. If they only knew that I don’t even bother observing them after a while. That is the true penalty, not even being interesting enough to be surveilled. So
I’ll get back to”
DON