Among animals

Hebel, a man of advanced age, has increasingly grown tired of humanity. He no longer wishes to meet new people. Instead, he prefers to be alone, and he does so with pleasure. He turns to animals: an endlessly fascinating subject of observation, admiration, and contemplation. This is how creation was intended, thinks Hebel. He observes, takes notes, and sets aside newspaper articles. While his friend Anderberg collects dead beetles and flies in a display case at his home, Hebel organizes his notes into a kind of diary about animals. "Among Animals" is a formally and thematically unusual book, a narrative essay in concise, pointed texts. It expresses a continual, ever-differently framed wonder at the creature: the animal entrusted to you, who are merely a human: profound emotion, ecstasy. It reflects on the vulnerability of this voiceless world.