“At this point, time stops still for weeks. Or rather, it doesn’t stop, it simply no longer occurs.” – Werner Herzog, The Twilight World.
Cold and disgruntled beauty stems from the craft of Werner Herzog, a man whose chilling status has stormed his art. His debut novel, The Twilight World, is that same calculated approach found in his films and documentaries. Short sentences and a powerful understanding of dedication to dead ideas confirm that cold and calculated maturity. It was founded in his non-fiction piece, Of Walking on Ice, and it is explored once more in The Twilight World. His attitude and dedication to that of collected remorse and subsequent exploration of it can only be described as touchingly in-sync with fears compounded into that of a Japanese soldier, unconvinced that the war is over.
It is Herzog’s Heart of Darkness. The well-kept soldier fails to understand that he must now move on. A legendary figure, one shrouded in as much mystery as the reasonings he had for staying put in the darkness of the jungle, Herzog explores ambition and dedication in the face of failing to accept the real world. It is as moving as expected. Herzog deploys real sorrow and touching elements of prose that mark his debut novel as an extraordinarily particular and unique piece. Atmospheric descriptions of the jungle that surrounds Onoda are as graceful as they are impressive, with elements of his service and dedication littered throughout the pages.
Leafing through those descriptions of wild jungles explored by those unable to cope with reality is as moving and touching as expected. So cold a delivery Herzog gives. A plain atmosphere, a real skill to his prose that such beauty and sincerity comes from such a matter-of-fact style. Simplicity is the finest key to unlocking real beauty, and in understanding such a mantra, Herzog succeeds in his desire of writing a great book. Short enough to read in one sitting, and likely necessary to do so. Much of the great strengths of this piece come not from its brevity but the impact it has on these few pages. They are as stirring as the great works Herzog crafted while standing behind the camera. Writing a book is as monumental a struggle and as impactful a decision as moving a boat over a mountain or interviewing those on Death Row. Herzog has now done it all.
Passionate writings from a new field of art mark Herzog as a man that can and will do it all. He has directed, produced, starred and now novelised his thoughts. Investigating the mind of a man deeply moved by his own stance in history and refusal to move on from it, the few words Herzog dispenses on Onoda are as delightful as they are poetic. Deeply, deeply moving on a personal and spiritual level, it is a book that wastes no words and breezes through its prose with a touching statement of deep moral clarity. Time is of no concern to the person struck by pursuit. The Twilight World explores that with raw beauty that only Herzog could provide.
