Saint Sebastian's Abyss

A nine-page email from a "relatively short" former best friend summons one to the other's deathbed for unknown reasons, and the other spends his flight to Berlin reflecting on Dutch Renaissance painter Count Hugo Beckenbauer and his masterpiece, Saint Sebastians Abyss. A darkly comic meditation on art, obsession, and the enigmatic power of friendship, the novel stalks the museum halls of Europe, feverishly seeking salvation, annihilation, and the meaning of belief.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 23 June 2022
Publisher: Coffee House Press

“What I wanted more than anything was to be standing beside Schmidt, in concert with Schmidt, at the foot of Saint Sebastians Abyss, along with Schmidt, hands cupped to the sides of our faces, debating art, transcendence, and the glory of the apocalypse.”

Former best friends who built their careers writing about a single work of art meet after a decades-long falling-out. One of them, called to the others deathbed for unknown reasons by a “relatively short” nine-page email, spends his flight to Berlin reflecting on Dutch Renaissance painter Count Hugo Beckenbauer and his masterpiece, Saint Sebastians Abyss, the work that established both men as important art critics and also destroyed their relationship.

A darkly comic meditation on art, obsession, and the enigmatic power of friendship, Saint Sebastians Abyss stalks the museum halls of Europe, feverishly seeking salvation, annihilation, and the meaning of belief.

The novel opens with a brief prologue that introduces the two main characters, Schmidt and Beckenbauer. Schmidt is a German art critic who has spent his career writing about Saint Sebastians Abyss, while Beckenbauer is a Dutch painter who created the masterpiece that inspired Schmidts obsession.

The prologue also sets up the central conflict of the novel, which revolves around Schmidts desire to be reunited with Beckenbauer and his masterpiece. Schmidt has spent years searching for Beckenbauer, but he has been unable to find him. He has even resorted to hiring a private investigator to help him track him down, but the investigator has been unsuccessful.

As Schmidt prepares to meet Beckenbauer, he reflects on their past relationship and the reasons why they fell out. He remembers how they first met when they were young students at the University of Berlin, and how they bonded over their shared love of art. Schmidt was impressed by Beckenbauers talent and his ability to create works of art that seemed to transcend time and space.

However, their relationship began to sour when Beckenbauer began to criticize Schmidts work. He accused Schmidt of being too critical and of not understanding the true meaning of the masterpiece that he had spent his career writing about. Schmidt was hurt by Beckenbauers criticism, and he began to distance himself from him.

As the novel progresses, Schmidt continues to search for Beckenbauer, and he begins to uncover clues about his whereabouts. He discovers that Beckenbauer has been living in exile in Europe, and he sets out to find him.

As Schmidt travels through Europe, he encounters a variety of characters who are connected to Beckenbauer and his masterpiece. He meets a group of art collectors who are obsessed with Saint Sebastians Abyss, and he learns about the strange rituals that they perform in order to worship the painting. He also meets a woman who is obsessed with Beckenbauer and who claims to have been his lover.

As Schmidt continues to search for Beckenbauer, he begins to realize that his obsession with the painting has taken over his life. He has become so consumed by his desire to be reunited with Beckenbauer and his masterpiece that he has lost sight of everything else. He has become isolated from his friends and family, and he has even lost his job as an art critic.

However, as Schmidt nears the end of his search, he begins to see the true meaning of Saint Sebastians Abyss. He realizes that the painting is not just a work of art, but a symbol of the human condition. He understands that the painting is a meditation on the power of obsession, the dangers of obsession, and the importance of friendship.

In the final chapter of the novel, Schmidt finally meets Beckenbauer. They are reunited at the foot of Saint Sebastians Abyss, and they debate the meaning of the painting. Schmidt realizes that he has been wrong about Beckenbauer and that he has been wrong about the painting. He understands that the painting is not a masterpiece, but a flawed work of art that is full of imperfections and contradictions.

However, Schmidt also realizes that the painting is still important. He understands that the painting is a symbol of the human condition, and that it can inspire us to think about the things that are important to us. He understands that the painting is a reminder that we are all connected to each other, and that we are all part of something larger than ourselves.

In the end, Saint Sebastians Abyss is a darkly comic meditation on art, obsession, and the enigmatic power of friendship. It is a novel that explores the human condition in a way that is both profound and hilarious. It is a novel that reminds us that we are all flawed and that we are all connected to each other.

Dimension: 196 x 127 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781566896368