New Novel Explores Artist's Complicity in Times of Trauma

A new novel, "The Director," by Daniel Kehlmann, explores the complex role of artists during times of trauma. The book is a fictionalized account inspired by the life of G.W. Pabst, a filmmaker who continued working under the Nazi regime. Kehlmann, in an interview with Jeffrey Brown of PBS NewsHour, discusses the complicity inherent in surviving a dictatorship and the intergenerational trauma of the Nazi era. He notes that his own father's experience as a Jewish man in Vienna during this period heavily influenced his work. "It's a novel about complicity," Kehlmann explains, "because if you survive at all in a dictatorship, then you have to become complicit." The novel also examines the subtle ways in which society adapts to authoritarian rule, even as many individuals try to maintain a sense of normalcy. The book's release coincides with growing concerns about the decline of democratic norms in Europe and the U.S., adding a layer of contemporary relevance to its historical context. Kehlmann's personal connection to the subject matter gives his work a unique perspective and emotional weight.