The Second Sword

Peter Handke, a 2019 Nobel Prize laureate, is a vivid representative of German-language literature, a talented stylist, and a screenwriter for many well-known films, including “Wings of Desire” (actually “Sky Over Berlin”) and “The Goalie’s Fear of the Penalty.”

“The Second Sword” is Handke’s latest work, written right after he received the Nobel Prize. Handke’s voice sounds loud and clear, and in the many metaphors—barely detectable allusions—you can sense echoes of the author’s thoughts and moods. What is injustice, and what is revenge? And what is the real importance of stories?

“The Second Sword” is a book, as often with Handke, about a spiritual journey and endless contemplation of the surrounding world. In every detail, Handke will find poetry that is hard to imagine. Even the most ordinary streets of Paris, even the clatter of tram wheels on its pages, will play out in new, bright colors.