4. “Noch einmal fur Thukydides”, Peter Handke.

This book was written by the Austrian writer recently honored with the Nobel Prize in Literature 2019. It consists of 17 small chapters, in each of which Handke describes in detail something that drew his attention during each of his travels to various countries.

A) Its Benefits: First of all it is a book with originality in writing, value that is probably required to win the Nobel Prize. The author is inspired by some utterly insignificant image for the average traveler, observer, reader or writer and focuses on such a detailed description of it that makes it the center of the world. This may be the image of a man in Patras begging his parrot to return to his cage, the trunks of an honey tree in the center of the Munich, a fireball in a man's hand, or a butterfly's flying. Clearly, the author's speech is particularly artful and noteworthy for critics of literature and readers deeply indebted to it.

B) Its Disadvantages: I don't know if it could really be described as a disadvantage, but reading the book I felt that it was definitely not aimed at the average reader who usually reads to entertain himself. The average reader will probably find it very boring because it is a book without exciting plot or lesson. This book is aimed exclusively at the literary expert, the aspiring future author studying original writing, or the visual artist, who, reading such vivid descriptions of seemingly insignificant details of the world, wants to use his materials immediately for creating art e.g. beautiful paintings.

C) The hidden meaning of the book:  Our world is made up of countless beautiful details that make it fascinating as long as one is observant and willing to discover them.