"At 83, Werner Herzog is a living legend who can and does do precisely what he wants. Like the strange, enchanting films for which he is best known, Herzog's seventh book defies the usual conventions of structure, narrative arc and the delineation of fact from fiction, even as it addresses the very subject of truth. This slim volume sets out Herzog's views on truth in a world where technologically enhanced falsehoods proliferate."
"Two principles are central to Herzog's idea of truth. First is the notion that seeking truth is a greater goal than finding it. As he puts it, the quest itself, bringing us nearer to the unrevealed truth, allows us to participate in something inherently unattainable, which is truth. The second is that bare facts can provide little more than a boring accountant's truth that is less useful than what he calls ecstatic truth in helping people understand what's really going on in life."
An 83-year-old living legend prioritizes the pursuit of truth over its possession, arguing that the quest brings people nearer to an inherently unattainable truth and allows participation in something greater. Bare facts offer only a boring accountant's truth, whereas ecstatic truth—imaginative, emotional, and revelatory—better aids understanding of life's realities. Cinema verite is despised for obscuring rather than illuminating. Technologically enhanced falsehoods proliferate, increasing the need for ecstatic approaches. The narrative uses strange, compelling anecdotes, such as a Palermo pig trapped in a pipe, to exemplify transformative metaphors and to contrast factual detail with deeper insight.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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