Stories of Mr. Keuner

»Mr. K. was asked what he was working on. Mr. K. replied: ›I’m terribly busy – I’m preparing my next mistake.‹«

This situation is typical of the Stories of Mr. Keuner: a simple, everyday question provokes a surprising, unusual answer.

These parabolic prose miniatures with their dialogic, dialectical structure and their subtle humour lend themselves perfectly to comic book adaptation. Nevertheless it is hardly surprising that no one has dared to tackle them until now: how can you translate mental images into drawn images? And how can you represent Bertolt Brecht’s playful alter ego Keuner, who exhibits unmistakably autobiographical traits but is nevertheless a man without qualities?

Now Ulf K., one of the most internationally renowned German comic artists, has risen to the challenge and delivered a resolutely timeless, modern Mr. K. who at the same time feels utterly contemporary. This bold, zesty adaptation gives the impression that Brecht has only just written these stories for us today and, together with Ulf K., has decided to give us this wonderful intellectual and aesthetic gift.

»Ulf K. is the poet of the German comics scene« Spiegel Online

»So close to Brecht and yet so independent. This Ulf K. seems to be the right man for the job.« Andreas Platthaus, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung