In Paradise: A Novel. Vol. II

"In Paradise: A Novel. Vol. II" by Paul Heyse is a literary novel written in the late 19th century. The story unfolds primarily around a character named Edward Rossel, a wealthy man who owns a country villa near Starnberg. His mundane attitudes toward nature contrast with his artistic guest, Philip Emanuel Kohle, suggesting a rich exploration of themes related to art, beauty, and human experience. The opening of the novel introduces the idyllic setting of Rossel's villa and his disdain for countryside life, emphasizing his preference for urban comforts. As Rossel entertains Kohle, a budding artist, their contrasting perspectives lead to philosophical discussions about art, life, and the nature of emotions. The narrative hints at Kohle's aspirations and peculiarities as he engages with Rossel and other characters, creating a rich interplay of ideas and emotions that sets the tone for the following chapters, with underlying currents of longing, frustration, and the complexities of relationships. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Paul Johann Ludwig von Heyse was a German writer and translator. A member of two important literary societies, the Tunnel über der Spree in Berlin and Die Krokodile in Munich, he wrote novels, poetry, 177 short stories, and about sixty dramas. The sum of Heyse's many and varied productions made him a dominant figure among German men of letters. He was awarded the 1910 Nobel Prize in Literature "as a tribute to the consummate artistry, permeated with idealism, which he has demonstrated during his long productive career as a lyric poet, dramatist, novelist and writer of world-renowned short stories." Wirsen, one of the Nobel judges, said that "Germany has not had a greater literary genius since Goethe." Heyse is the fifth oldest laureate in literature, after Alice Munro, Jaroslav Seifert, Theodor Mommsen and Doris Lessing.