THE DIRECTOR - Daniel Kehlmann (epub)(Nonfiction)

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann
Year First Published: 2025
Category/Genre: Nonfiction Novel (Biographical, Historical, Art & Politics)

The Director by Daniel Kehlmann is a masterful, genre-blurring work that reimagines the life of G.W. Pabst, one of the twentieth century’s most influential film directors, as he navigates the treacherous intersection of art, power, and moral compromise during the rise of the Nazi regime. Though written as a novel, it is deeply rooted in historical fact and biographical detail, making it a compelling nonfictional portrait rendered with the narrative verve of literary fiction.

The story begins in the early 1930s, as Pabst—renowned for his silent-era masterpieces and leftist sympathies—flees Nazi Germany for France and then Hollywood, seeking artistic freedom and safety for his family. In Hollywood, however, Pabst finds himself adrift, unable to break into the American film industry despite his international acclaim and connections (even Greta Garbo, whom he made famous, cannot help him). When news arrives that his elderly mother is ill, Pabst returns to Austria, only to find it annexed and transformed into "Ostmark" under Nazi control