The Maserati Years: short and sweet

The Maserati Years is another short story that contends with human emotion and the cold world that is embraced by those who lack essential parts of human emotion. In "sin Dolor" Boyle constructs a pain-free world for Damaso, and shows the real pain of his life, lacking a basic human principle, a basic human element. In the Maserati Years, Maxim Biller attempts to do the same in much less space (only two pages), by portraying a heartless figure who has no drive or passion in his life.

Biller himself is a German writer, born in Prauge, and this particular short story is translated from German.

In The Maserati Years, diction and imagery create a bleak scene that makes the reader cold just glancing through the short pages. The main character is a void, completely lacking emotion or impetus to live his life. The story begins with a message from a lover, who is unmistakeably not loved, proclaiming a pregnancy. The main character watches his day pass by through a series of text messages, a symbol of the disconnected life he lives.

This story is an interesting reflection on the void that human emotion can sometimes be, but reading it was a somewhat depressing few minutes. I would still reccomend anyone to read The Maserati Years, for its quick, concise precipitaion of themes reguarding the lacking intimacy in modern culture, but I don't feel strongly about this short story.