Insect Dreams
The Half Life of Gregor Samsa
Chapter One
TAILS of HOFFNUNG
Wunderkammer Hoffnung-Amadeus Hoffnung's Cabinet of Wonders-had begun as the hobby of a diminutive, shy adolescent: his
childhood rock and insect collections, his autographs of singers from the Vienna State Opera, the paintings made by his
oddly talented cat, and what was clearly the largest ball of string ever imagined by his otherwise mocking cohorts. The
idea that his collection could become a business was far from the thoughts of this lonely child until one day in 1907
when his parents bought a Victrola, the very model pictured on "His Master's Voice."
"You can start saving for your own record collection," his father said.
Karl Maria Hoffnung was not miserly, he simply wanted his son to learn the virtues of discernment and self-sufficiency.
"I'll add a crown a week to your allowance, and you can put it away for music. Maybe you could charge people to see
your collections," he added, prescient.
Thus began young Amadeus's quest. He saved his weekly crowns and invested his meager capital in the thrift stores and
flea markets of ... read full excerpt from Insect Dreams: The Half Life of Gregor Samsa ebook
