Audiobook Tips
Sarah Kuttner: “Kurt”
Terribly sad and yet beautiful – this is the original artwork of Til Schweiger’s “Dear Kurt”
Sarah Kuttner is the author of “Kurt” – and read her own book herself.
© Oliver Berg/DPA/Argon
A child dies – and the bereaved are looking for a way back to everyday life. In her fourth book “Kurt”, Sarah Kuttner tells of grief and death – but never loses sight of the easy, absurd and beautiful things in life. Til Schweiger has now filmed the book.
What is “Kurt” about?
There are many books about blended families. Just as the suffering of parents who lose their child has already been described. In “Kurt” Sarah Kuttner combined these two themes into a whole new story. The story is told from Lena’s perspective. The woman lives happily in Brandenburg with her boyfriend, “big” Kurt. His six-year-old son, “little” Kurt from a previous relationship, lives with them half the time. When the boy has a fatal accident while playing in the schoolyard, the idyll is over. While her partner retreats into his grief, Lena’s situation is more complicated. She also mourns Kurt, which hardly anyone notices. Because she is not the biological mother of the boy. The situation puts her relationship with Kurt to the test.
Why is the audio book worth it?
“Kurt” by Sarah Kuttner is available for download on Audible.
© Argon Audiobook
“And then Kurt falls off the jungle gym.” With this simple, casually breathed sentence, Sarah Kuttner introduces the great catastrophe that the book describes. This is where the author’s great art comes into play: she manages without unnecessary dramatization to portray the accident and show the mental suffering it causes in the bereaved. She never downplays death, never ridicules it. But she never loses sight of the fact that life has funny, absurd and sometimes even beautiful moments in store for those who mourn. When she quotes from the funeral ordinances of various federal states, she even puts a smile on the face of the shocked listener.
Who wrote it?
“Kurt” is the fourth novel by former Viva presenter Sarah Kuttner. The 40-year-old celebrated her debut as a writer in 2009 with “Mängelexemplar”, which deals with the subject of depression. It was followed by “Growing Pains” (2011) and “180° Sea” (2015). In addition to her work as an author, Kuttner has presented various TV formats. From 2017 to 2022, she also moderated the podcast “Das kleine Fernsehballett” with media journalist Stefan Niggemeier.
Who’s speaking?
The author herself: Sarah Kuttner. This is charming on the one hand, because the Berliner gives the story a very special touch with her raspy voice. In addition, it is always good when authors interpret their own texts.
On the other hand, the speaker brings with it a major disadvantage: Sarah Kuttner is of a similar age to Lena, the main character of the book. Because of her celebrity, Kuttner’s voice keeps her person in mind while reading, when Lena’s experiences are actually being told. So there is a danger that in the minds of some listeners the author and the protagonist will be superimposed – which of course is nonsense: It’s not her story that is being told here, Sarah Kuttner is just the author. If you keep that in mind, you will get a lot out of this clever audio book.