»Don’t you also wish you cared less about yourself?«
Res always believed that she was someone special – just like her idol Frances Scott. But on the very day she is set to meet her favourite pop artist of all time, her life comes to an abrupt end. Her life passes her by on the backdrop of films, music and advertising from the time of the turn of the millennium. And through this we are immersed in the subconscious of Western popular culture. An existence of constant stimulation is expected here as a matter of course, leading to a grandiose end – which must never be reached. Res finally meets Frances in delirium: in lofts and restaurants, at tennis matches and big gigs. It is the last glimmer of a dream from a time when pop seemed to be apolitical and sold nothing but hedonism. Neither Res, who describes the dream, nor Frances, who sells the dream, determine the rules of this game. They strive to become a product and a brand. But why? In a playful style, »delulu« explores the contemporary desire to be seen.
Everything is connected in this delicately arranged novel, which is definitely as colourful and entertaining as a toy.
Julia Friese, born in 1985, lives in Berlin, works as a writer and cultural journalist, publishes in literary magazines and anthologies. Most recently, »life starts after breakfast« was published in »die horen« and »dreams« in the anthology »Und ich –« at Ullstein. Her much-discussed debut »MTTR« was published by Wallstein Verlag in 2022 and was nominated for the ›Clemens Brentano Preis‹. For »delulu«, she was awarded a work grant from the German Literature Fund.
