CRITICISM

Coates, Joseph. “Portraits of Ancient Evil, Modern Tragedy.” Chicago Tribune Books (12 October 1986): section 14, pp. 6, 11.

Coates examines the protagonist of Perfume, endorsing the novel as a powerful work of fiction.

Gorra, Michael. “Fiction Chronicle.” Hudson Review 40 (spring 1987): 136-38.

Gorra explicates the plot of Perfume within the context of best-selling literary fiction, comparing Süskind to Umberto Eco and Robert Stone.

Gray, Richard T. “The Dialectic of ‘Enscentment’: Patrick Süskind's Das Parfum as Critical History of Enlightenment Culture.” PMLA 108, no. 3 (May 1993): 489-505.

Gray explores the significance of the olfactory realm to the method and techniques of Das Parfum in terms of a critique of Enlightenment discourse of “the rational,” describing the epistemological mechanisms of that discourse exposed by the narrative's viewpoint and critical practices.

Hegi, Ursula. “Prisoner of the Past.” Washington Post Book World 23, no. 10 (7 March 1993): 11.

Hegi describes the postwar German cultural context of Mr. Summer's Story, praising the authenticity of its setting and memories.

Hofmann, Michael. “Euro Dolours.” Observer Review (10 November 1996): 17.

Hofmann identifies Three Stories and a Reflection with the new generation of contemporary German novelists, situating the work in context with Süskind's other writings.

Mitchell, Kendall. “A Loner's Inward Life Thrown into Chaos.” Chicago Tribune Books (12 June 1988): section 14, p. 7.

Mitchell summarizes the plot of The Pigeon, comparing its style to the works of Edgar Allan Poe.

Additional coverage of Süskind's life and career is contained in the following sources published by the Gale Group: Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: Biography & Resources, Vol. 3; Contemporary Authors, Vol. 145; Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 44; Contemporary World Writers, Ed. 2; and Literature Resource Center.