Spotted in a Healthy Planet shop and could not resist picking it up.

Utz, the eponymous main character of this novel is a minor aristocrat and a collector of Meissen porcelain in Czechoslovakia during its period of Soviet rule under Stalin. Although he has multiple opportunities to emigrate, he cannot bear to separate himself for long from his porcelain. So Utz becomes a study into the psychology of obsession and private collecting of art

The novel perhaps encourage readers to examine the interrelationships of art, collecting, passion, love, creation, life, and death. That said and done, whilst I enjoyed the author's writing style and tightly controlled prose I struggled to really enjoy it and somehow failed to really engage with it. Perhaps it was just too deep for me.

Spotted this on a wishlist so going out to hopefully make a new friend. I hope you get more out of than I did. Enjoy!

Thank you for sending this book! Sounds quite interesting! I'll let you know what I thought of it once I read it.

I really enjoyed this book, though I wonder if readers who don't know Prague, Meissen porcelain and the political situation in Czechoslovakia in 1967 and the years to follow would not have a hard time understanding the book. Many things are just stated without much explanation. It's almost like a book for "insiders".
I did have a few good laughs, e.g. when on the restaurant menu, carp was translated as crap. :)

off to the next reader! Enjoy!

Thank you very much for fulfilling a wish from my wishlist!