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Boy with a Black Rooster
Eleven-year-old Martin has nothing but the shirt on his back, and a black rooster which is both a protector and a friend. The villagers steer clear of the boy, finding him strange; far too smart and kind. They would rather mistreat him than acknowledge his talents. When Martin meets a travelling painter and seizes the chance to leave the village with him, he is led into a terrible world which, thanks to his compassion and understanding, he is able to resist, becoming a saviour for those even more innocent than he is.
224 pages
2021
978-3-257-07166-5
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»Stefanie vor Schulte’s novel demonstrates that it takes the wisdom of a child to understand cruelty.«
»This enigmatic plot, studded with symbols, and vor Schulte’s concise, distinctive narrative style will be remembered for a long time.«
»An inspired debut from Stefanie vor Schulte!«
»A gruesomely beautiful fairy tale for grown-ups.«
»A great rhythm, beautiful sentences, atmosphere: a joyful cultural experience.«
»Boy with a Black Rooster is gripping, uncanny, a look into the human abyss. And yet, there is magic in this child.«
»Stefanie vor Schulte's novel is full of poetic power and with a language characterized by images.«
»This appears light as a feather, yet elaborately crafted all the same.«
»Stefanie vor Schulte’s debut novel, Boy with Black Rooster, is an engrossing and enchanting fairy tale for adults, offering readers some ideal (post-) pandemic escapism.«
»Halfway between macabre tale and surrealist epic, Boy with a Black Rooster, with its many ambiguities, is as reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch as it is of Giambattista Basile's Tale of Tales (adapted for the cinema by Matteo Garrone).«
»A debut that is both admirable and truly unique.«
»[...] connecting life and death with great intelligence and narrative proficiency.«
»Dystopian and poetic at the same time.«