'Wer schreibt, kann nicht töten': Writing and Life in Reinhard Jirgl’s Abtrünning: Roman aus der nervösen Zeit

Reinhard Jirgl’s Abtrünnig: Roman aus der nervösen Zeit is an aesthetically complex text which explores the function of autobiographical self-reflection through fictional means. Its protagonist and narrator tells the story of his own frustration and failure, a story which appears inevitably to end in violence. However, the structure of the text, which incorporates various Internet-style ‘links’, ultimately offers the reader two possibilities: to circle endlessly within the novel in the hope that the narrator’s story might somehow be read in such a way as to produce a more positive outcome; or, like the narrator himself, to step outside of the story, liberating themselves from a world which ultimately cannot be redeemed.