Thursday 18 February 2010

Axolotl Roadkill: My Final Word

Yesterday the publishers Ullstein sent out a list of Helene Hegemann's sources for Axolotl Roadkill. And the magazine Bücher went and put them online (scroll down to pdf). So now's your chance to make up your mind. According to Ullstein the poached bits make up less than half a percent of the book. What's clear, though, is that much of the sections on Berghain and heroin consumption is closely inspired by and modified from reformed blogger Airen's book Strobo.

My final word is this:

There are two separate issues at stake here. The first is that Hegemann shouldn't have lifted from other people's work without crediting them. She got caught, she owned up, and now they're credited. I know I'm going to get more anonymous comments on this, but she didn't harm anyone. She didn't put a bomb under anyone's car, she didn't steal anyone's boyfriend, she didn't give anyone a Chinese burn in the playground. To put it bluntly, I don't understand why such a wave of hate has descended upon her. Unless, of course, people don't like seeing young women being successful in such a spectacular way.

The second issue is the quality of the book now that we know exactly which words are Hegemann's and which are other people's. Because I for one am not prepared to dismiss the novel out of hand because of the way it was written. And I stand by my opinion that Axolotl Roadkill is a good book, tackling much more than just heroin and Berghain, featuring genuine linguistic invention and capturing the spirit of Berlin as it is now. Above all, it paints a picture of a severely disturbed narrator who doesn't in fact come of age - instead refusing to do so like all those around her, living the lives of hedonistic teenagers well into their 40s.

And that, for all those clamouring for authenticity, is the real thing.

8 comments:

Clitora said...

Kate, just wanted to say that I've enjoyed reading your cool-headed and rational response to this whole fiasco. I've read the book too and I also think it's brilliant, regardless of how it came about. Although I'm not condoning Hegemann's failure to credit her sources, I think that lots of people have failed to recognise the nuances of the situation and it's been great to have your refreshing take on it. So thanks!

kjd said...

Nice to be appreciated. Those people who've failed to see the nuances, I suspect, are those who haven't read the book.

Harvey Morrell said...

I echo Clitora's appreciation for your rational response to this imbroglio. As a result, the book is still on my must read list.

kjd said...

That's me, rational. Remember the big extra suitcase on your next trip, Harvey.

Anonymous said...

I see your rationalization but please don't play the sex card; It's a cheap argument.("Unless, of course, people don't like seeing young women being successful in such a spectacular way".)

I think it's irresponsible from her part to use someone's "diary" (the blog) and don't give any credit. At least provide a general appreciation or recognition, (one line at the end of the book would have been enough). I know it's impossible to credit everything and everyone in a book, but if it was an important contribution (like she already admitted) then it was unprofessional from her part not to do it from the start.

kjd said...

I'm not the first to say that, Anonymous; the critic Iris Radisch explains the phenomenon in some detail in DIE ZEIT, looking at the way other critics have dismissed her and the language they use to do so.

If you look at some of the abuse she's got from the general public and the way it focuses on her hair and her general appearance, I'd say gender is very much a factor here.

I can't imagine a young male author getting grief over his hairstyle, can you?

Anonymous said...

it is a book, nothing more.
stop beeing so moralistic

Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche said...

There are two separate issues at stake here. The first is that Hegemann shouldn't have lifted from other people's work without crediting them. She got caught, she owned up, and now they're credited. I know I'm going to get more anonymous comments on this, but she didn't harm anyone. She didn't put a bomb under anyone's car, she didn't steal anyone's boyfriend, she didn't give anyone a Chinese burn in the playground. To put it bluntly, I don't understand why such a wave of hate has descended upon her. Unless, of course, people don't like seeing young women being successful in such a spectacular way.