A Companion to Werner Herzog Hardcover - 2012 - 1st Edition

From the rear cover

"Brad Prager has collected together a world class and diverse group of scholars to map out with great lucidity the complex interconnectivity of Herzog's equally diverse oeuvre."
Paul Cooke, University of Leeds

"Werner Herzog towers as one of world cinema's most engaging, energetic, and enigmatic directors. A Companion to Werner Herzog charts the career of an extraordinary artist whose only predictable feature remains his unpredictability."
Gerd Gemünden, Dartmouth College

"Contrary to his self-presentation, Werner Herzog is a filmmaker profoundly influenced by the history of film, art, and literature and an integral part of the spatial imaginaries and aesthetic sensibilities of the postwar period. It is the main achievement of this anthology, expertly put together by Brad Prager, to highlight these connections with rich and insightful articles on Herzog and painting, photography, opera, geography, documentary, and the essay film. And at last, we understand the strange power exerted by the chicken in Stroszek..."
Sabine Hake, The University of Texas at Austin

Continually blurring the line between fiction and reality, Werner Herzog has made a career of crossing boundaries and reinventing himself. Since his early emergence as a leader in the New German cinema, Herzog is now widely recognized as one of the most acclaimed and innovative filmmakers of the modern era--as well as one of its most controversial and enigmatic figures.

A Companion to Werner Herzog presents more than two dozen original scholarly essays that probe deeply into various aspects of Herzog's career and eclectic body of cinematic work. Contributions from internationally recognized film scholars and Herzog experts offer fresh perspectives on such topics as Herzog's engagement with music and the arts, his self-stylization as a global filmmaker, the director's Bavarian origins, and even his visionary collaboration--and love-hate relationship--with the late actor Klaus Kinski. Filled with illuminating insights, A Companion to Werner Herzog offers a long-overdue exploration of the life and artistic contributions of one of the true giants of international cinema.