A Postmodernist's Murder

Author: By Berg, translated by Hong Jie
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-01-01
Features: This is a strange work—half a chaotic novel, half philosophical delirium. The main plot is as follows: A U.S. California university professor known as the "father of postmodernism," Aitor Groche, is murdered in his restaurant by four different methods simultaneously. Those present include his wife, a fellow expert and writer, a female graduate student, and a female visiting scholar, who are helping the professor prepare for a postmodernism academic conference. When Detective Hunter investigates, he gets lost in the verbal maze of this group of postmodernists. In the end, the detective's conclusion is also "postmodern"—no one killed him. What stands out more than the plot's narration is the postmodernist theoretical citations and the philosophical insights of the characters woven throughout the work. These philosophical discourses intertwined with the plot form the core meaning of the entire work, transforming a murder into a unique interpretation of postmodernist philosophy.