The Eye of Bosch
StarBast I
Publisher:
StarBast Publishers
StarBast Publishers
Eye of Bosch
Holger Schmidt
Published: 2024
Originally published in German and translated to Russian by N. Dulesov
Translated into English by Y. Grigoryeva
Illustrated by Dina Tzvitkiz and Dmitry Chursin
Cover & book design by Dmitry Chursin
Printed and bound in Russian Federation
by StarBast Publishers (Ekaterinburg)
Translated into English by Y. Grigoryeva
Illustrated by Dina Tzvitkiz and Dmitry Chursin
Cover & book design by Dmitry Chursin
Printed and bound in Russian Federation
by StarBast Publishers (Ekaterinburg)
Copyright © 2024 by StarBast Publishers
Idea, text, lyrics copyright © N. Dulesov 2015
Text copyright © “Holger Schmidt” 2022
Illustrations copyright © Dina Tzvitkiz 2022
Illustrations copyright © Dmitry Chursin 2022
Cover and book design copyright © Dmitry Chursin 2022
Text copyright © “Holger Schmidt” 2022
Illustrations copyright © Dina Tzvitkiz 2022
Illustrations copyright © Dmitry Chursin 2022
Cover and book design copyright © Dmitry Chursin 2022
After the breakup of the cult rock band StarBast, its frontman, Bastian Steppenwolf, plunges into a deep spiritual crisis. Living in exile in India, he faces personal loss and a growing disillusionment with his own art.
Memories of past successes, friendships, and the time when their music changed the world have become an unbearable burden. Seeking a way out of this darkness, Bastian visits his old friend and bandmate, Hermann "Galapagos" Schildkröte, the band’s keyboardist and archivist. Their meeting turns into a session of introspection, where they recall their adventures, trials, and the demons they had to confront.
Through creating a series of films, each reflecting one of the seven deadly sins, Bastian attempts to come to terms with the mistakes of his past. Each episode is a personal revelation: from envy toward a friend to regret over the inability to find love. The symbolism of Bosch comes to life through the music they once made and in their philosophical reflections on lost dreams and redemption. Gradually, Bastian realizes that his true battle is with himself — against his own mistakes and the demons of his past.
In "The Eye of Bosch", as in Bosch’s paintings, real events intertwine with fantasy, transforming into a profound psychological labyrinth. The characters, once inspired by ideals of justice and goodness, search for a path to the light through art, friendship, and redemption, asking themselves: can they once again find the sincerity that was lost on the path to fame?
Memories of past successes, friendships, and the time when their music changed the world have become an unbearable burden. Seeking a way out of this darkness, Bastian visits his old friend and bandmate, Hermann "Galapagos" Schildkröte, the band’s keyboardist and archivist. Their meeting turns into a session of introspection, where they recall their adventures, trials, and the demons they had to confront.
Through creating a series of films, each reflecting one of the seven deadly sins, Bastian attempts to come to terms with the mistakes of his past. Each episode is a personal revelation: from envy toward a friend to regret over the inability to find love. The symbolism of Bosch comes to life through the music they once made and in their philosophical reflections on lost dreams and redemption. Gradually, Bastian realizes that his true battle is with himself — against his own mistakes and the demons of his past.
In "The Eye of Bosch", as in Bosch’s paintings, real events intertwine with fantasy, transforming into a profound psychological labyrinth. The characters, once inspired by ideals of justice and goodness, search for a path to the light through art, friendship, and redemption, asking themselves: can they once again find the sincerity that was lost on the path to fame?
“The revealed mutation had not particularly interfered with him until he became the object of universal observation. In short, one day Galapagos invited his friends to make fun of the viewers. He found an empty shell of a giant turtle and attached it to his back. He painted his arms and legs dark green. The guys took laboratory cameras and made a fake video about a man transforming into a tortoise. It came on air. The program was watched by 50% of the global population.
p. 154-155
“Act change. It's a hotel room in the morning. It's messy: empty bottles on the floor, overfilled ashtrays, crumpled underwear, torn curtains. On the coffee table, one can notice rubber ropes, used needles, leftovers of white powder similar to powdered sugar. Black Viper reclines in the chair. There is terror in his eyes.”
p. 208-209
"In short, there was no doubt. It was my diary, which I left on the island. In every way, Theresa tried to draw my attention to this particular thing. Whereas I told her to throw this nasty thing away, believing that someone was meanly bamming me. But Theresa insisted that I look at the message, because it read "From friends". As she usually liked to do, when she faced my negative attitude, she began to remember the old parable about two friends. You know, it’s about the interrelation of everything in this world. She had many children and grandchildren, and sometimes I could not understand from what source she drew out the patience and care that she generously bestowed on me. Then she left. It took me a while to get the courage and open the notebook with my old notes. I felt ashamed. I realized that our whole life was in that diary, the life of our StarBast band, which actually made the finished scripts of my films. For the film studio, I pretended to come up with original stories, but in fact, I stole them from myself or from you, if you prefer. All I needed was to come up with the titles. 'The Mysterious Disappearance of the White Peacock', 'The Last Leap of the Wild Lynx', 'The World Is Floating on a Turtle', 'The Revenge of the Black Viper', 'To Be a Queen', 'Secrets of the Incubus', 'Life Eater'."
p. 40-41
