The most printed book of our time, the IKEA catalogue, has been reviewed by a literary critic for the first time. And not just by anybody, but by Hellmuth Karasek, one of the most important and influential literary critics.
In 1951, Ingvar Kamprad sent the first catalogue to his customers. Its print run has been steadily rising ever since to some 220 million today. This makes the IKEA catalogue the most printed publication of current times, ahead of the Bible.
Karasek did not have to stick to any content requirements in his review. He reviewed the catalogue as he saw fit and according to the same criteria he applies to works of fiction.
One of Karasek’s criticisms, for example, is that the catalogue contains more pictures than active protagonists. He notes with some bewilderment that: “The people have to squeeze in between the furniture, they have very little to say and what they do say is hardly coherent – and yet the book is such a huge success.”
The five-minute online film is an unusual, affectionate and not entirely serious examination of the 2016 IKEA catalogue.
About Hellmuth Karasek
Born in 1934 in Brno (Czech Republic), Hellmuth Karasek is a German journalist, book author, critic and professor of theatre studies. He directed the culture section of the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel for over 20 years. From 1988 to 2001, he was a permanent fixture on the ZDF programme Das Literarische Quartett (the literary quartet). He has also published numerous books.
YouTube movie: www.ikea.ch/karasek
Facebook movie: www.ikea.ch/karasekfb
21 August 2015
