Gone But Not Forgotten: My Favourite Flops and Other Projects That Came to Nothing Enzensberger Hans Magnus

One of Germany's greatest living writers offers up an analysis (and samples) of his failed projects. There is enlightenment in every embarrassing episode, he argues, and while artists tend to forget their successes quickly, the memory of a project that came to nothing stays in the mind for years, if not decades. "My dear fellow artists, whether writers, actors, painters, film-makers, singers, sculptors, or composers, why are you so reluctant to talk about your minor or major failures?" With that question, Hans Magnus Enzensberger--the most senior among Germany's great writers--begins his amusing ruminations on his favorite projects that never saw the light of day.

Triumphs hold no lessons for us, but fiascos can extend our understanding, giving insight into the conditions of production, conventions, and practices of the industries concerned, and helping novices to assess the