The World as a Labyrinth

Verzweiflung und Zuversicht (Despair and Confidence)

On mannerism in art and literature at the end of the 20th century

Fairy tales, worlds of dreams and magic, horror, madness and the absurd ...

Fantastic art and literature is not a contemporary invention. In fact, it has been around since the beginning of artistic endeavors themselves. In his original and breathtaking foray through the history of art and literature in Europe, Gustav René Hocke uses his impressive knowledge to uncover the cultural-historical connection of the fantastic or mannerism, which runs like a golden thread through all epochs of European art history from antiquity to the present day in which it has blossomed into a dominant art form of our time.

In Verzweiflung und Zuversicht (Despair and Confidence), the third volume of the Mannerism Library by Gustav René Hocke, the journalist and writer reflects on the philosophical background of modern times, the breeding ground for the fantastic.