In today's culture, smoking has become a polarizing issue. And cigarettes inspired German author and translator Gregor Hens to write the unconventional and intriguing meditation Nicotine. He examines his life as a smoker and non-smoker many times over. "I've smoked well over a hundred thousand cigarettes... and each one of those cigarettes meant something to me.... Every cigarette that I've ever smoked served a purpose," he tells us as he delves into his past and delivers an entertaining book that is part memoir, part essay and part research summary into the "all-pervading nature" of addiction.
Hens recounts how and when smoking took root in his life: he was six years old when his mother gave him a lit cigarette to ignite the fuse on a bottle rocket one New Year's Eve. Thus, a smoker was born, and so, too, a writer: Hens identifies that stroke-of-midnight moment as the inspiration for a lifetime of spinning everything into story--and what great tales he has to share! Small moments and recollections anchored in his experiences with smoking and cigarettes come to shape, define and map Hens's existence. For instance, he became the beneficiary of his beloved--yet rather mystifying--unmarried great-aunt Anna, who worked for a cigarette factory and received a considerable pension that included a monthly allowance of two cartons of cigarettes per month, even after her death.
Nicotine is loosely constructed in short, stream-of-consciousness vignettes. Hens supplements his personal anecdotes by sharing cultural customs related to smoking, especially during his formative years in the 1970s and 1980s. Tidbits of history are woven throughout, including Adolf Hitler's anti-smoking stance and Mark Twain's wit on the subject. Hens also recalls movies and literature that have seduced people to smoke by glamorizing the act, all launching further probing of the psychoactive aspects of nicotine as a stimulant and a drug.
The writing is detailed, fluid and sensual. Hens segues from personal experiences to facts and statistics about smoking and cessation. The acute memories he shares about people who have crossed his path are especially appealing; he retells stories about those with whom he's shared smokes, from family members to strangers, and even his attempts to quit, including a visit to an eccentric hypnotist in Columbus, Ohio.
At the time of writing Nicotine, Hens was no longer a smoker. But he explains that he wrote it in order to dissect his addiction and analyze how smoking colored distinct eras of his life and served as inspiration for his creativity. Smoking and cigarettes might not be good for the health of the body, but Hens's glimpse through the prism of addiction offers an enriching and enlightening account that benefits the mind and the soul. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines
Shelf Talker: A writer and translator explores his experiences with smoking, cigarettes and the nature of addiction.