UTZ
Bruce Chatwin
Utz tells the story of Kaspar Joachim Utz – a Czech of Jewish descent, a minor aristocrat, as well as an art dealer and obsessive collector of Meissen figurines. Utz lives in Prague and, through the political upheavals of the 20th century, he amasses a vast porcelain collection through various collaborations and the loyal assistance of the family retainer, Marta. Utz is allowed to keep his Meissen in his small flat, on condition that he bequeaths it to the National Museum when he dies. He longs to escape the Communist regime, and makes his way to Vichy, but his beloved Meissen force him to return to Prague, where he marries Marta. After his death, the collection disappears. Was Utz finally liberated from the prison of his love for beautiful objects by human love?
Picador (1988)
