Daniel Kehlmanns Roman ‚Mahlers Zeit‘ und Quantenmechanik. Eine interdisziplinäre Interpretation

Abstract

This paper proposes an interdisciplinary reinterpretation of the novel ‘Mahler’s Time’ by Daniel Kehlmann, arguing that this work explores the epistemological consequences of quantum mechanics. It is shown that the so-called Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics is disguised in the text as the fictional physical Valentinov paradox, which shapes the poetic statement as well as the structure of the novel. The interdisciplinary interpretation is also reinforced by Kehlmann’s poetological essays.