Perfume
by Patrick Süskind · first published 1999
13mentions
7recommended by
11HN commenters
2012–2023first – last mentioned
64% recommend36% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Richly sensory, darkly funny novel about a gifted perfumer with no scent of his own. Its vivid prose on smell and nihilistic humor stand out; suited to readers curious about scent or fond of bold writing.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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If scent is of interest to you, I suggest you read Perfume by Patrick Suskind. I couldn't help but notice the distinct smell of everything and everyone after reading this book.
on “Do older people have a different smell?” ↗"Perfume" by Patrick Suskind, and the movie is great as well. The main character is a horrible person but so is everyone else. Possibly the funniest nihilist book ever written. Also interesting to those of us…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored” ↗For those interested in the olfactory world, there is this beautiful novel „Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” by Patrick Süskind. I read it as a teenager and it changed my world. Unfortunately, the title already suggests that the English translation may not be as good as the original…
on “Facts about smell (2014)” ↗Since I read Perfume by Patrick Süskind, I smell everything. And the sense I had associated with good or bad smells is disappearing. Now I just smell things and etch the moment in my memory. At night, I lay down and replay…
on “How to Smell (2018)” ↗…by Harry Mulisch 1984, by George Orwell Night Angel trilogy, by Brent Weeks Farseer and Tawny Man trilogies, by Robin Hobb Gentlemen Bastards series (first two books), by Scott Lynch Das Parfum (Perfume), by Patrick Süskind Some may have been from end 2010
on “Ask HN: Best Fiction Book(s) You Have Read In 2011” ↗Off-time but not off-topic, an exceptionally good story is narrated in Perfume by Patrick Süskind: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Süskind https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfume_(novel) What many people forget today is that we are now (with the obvious exception of smog/pollution…
on “Medieval people bathed regularly” ↗I, too, failed to finish Lolita. The prose is interesting, but I just couldn't get into the story. I'm sure I'll be derided for this, but I think a good alternative that you might want to consider is Perfume by Suskind. It has a similar over-the-top style of prose, but it was very enjoyable to me and it had an interesting story. Only the ending was a bit strange, but it was well worth my time. Give it a…
on “When Jawaharlal Nehru Read ‘Lolita’” ↗This reminds me a bit of the start of the book Perfume by Patrick Suskind.
on “Chemical emitted by babies could make men more docile, women more aggressive” ↗…decomposition, and so there was no human activity, either constructive or destructive, no manifestation of germinating or decaying life, that was not accompanied by stench. [0] [0] https://www.amazon.com/Perfume-Story-Murder-Patrick-Suskind/...
on “What Did the Past Smell Like?” ↗…haven't read anything of him, start with "The Road" and "Child of God", they are quite accessible and highly thrilling (I also strongly suspect that Patrick Süskind read "Child of God" before he wrote "Perfume: Story of a Murderer"). "No Country For Old Men" is also a great book. A bit more challenging, but a beautiful read: "All the Pretty Horses". "Blood Meridian" is simply in another league and one of the…
on “Early Cormac McCarthy Interviews Rediscovered” ↗> Because when you’re finally in a situation where you could use its insights, you’ve completely forgotten them. I once read a short essay by Patrick Süskind (author of "Perfume - The Story of a Murderer"). I am paraphrasing, but in it, he discusses his embarrassment that he cannot remember even major plot details or character names of great works of world literature, although…
on “How to Remember What You Read” ↗This can't be complete without a mention of Patrick Süskind's novel The Perfume, a book that "explores the sense of smell and its relationship with the emotional meaning that scents may have" (Wikipedia)
on “Our Pungent History: Sweat, Perfume, and the Scent of Death (2016)” ↗At this juncture, I can't help but mention the novel "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind about a perfumer of extraordinary but also devious and murderous talents during 18th century France.
on “‘Elixir’ Review: Perfume and Science in Paris” ↗