Nosferatu

by Jim Shepard

Book Overview

From this prodigiously talented writer comes a stunningly original fictional life of the German director F. W. Murnau (1888-1931). Murnau ranks as a founding father of the cinema, not least for his legendary horror film, Nosferatu. Here he is revealed as a hermetic genius who turns against himself, becoming in a sense his own vampire. What shadows Jim Shepard's Murnau--through the airfields of the Great War to Berlin in the twenties and to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803293461
• ISBN13: 9780803293465
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Very Comphrensive

Jim Shepard's attention to detail is as always, mind boggling! Nosferatu is a fictional account of the eminent German film director F.W Murnau. The book takes you on an rollercoaster journey through Murnau's life from his humble childhood beginnings, to his time as a fighter pilot during World War I, his rise to the top of the cinematic world and then inevitably his tragic death. The book is a great read throughout, emotive yet witty. However, the first half is far more brilliant than the second. The prose is very challenging (non veterans will need to bring out the collegiate dictionary for this one) but at the critical gain of early 20th Century elegance... A downfall however is that the novel somehow seems to end incredibly hastly. Shepard also seems to make tremendous leaps to different stages of Murnau's life (which leaves you wondering - what happened in between???). Overall a good read especially for the silient cinema fans and those interested in the pre/post World War I era.

A perfect novel!

With stunning insight, Shepard creates a fictional history of the great filmmaker locating the roots of his mature genius in the forbidden passions of adolescence and young adulthood. One of the most compelling windows into artistic obsession and its erotic impetus I have ever seen. The descriptions of the creative mind at work in the making of Nosferatu the film are an artistic tour de force. His evocation of the transports of youthful love are among the most beautiful ever written! Check out the love letters!