Patrick Süskind Perfume & The Pigeon 2 Books Collection Set - Fiction - Paperback

Titles in This Set
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
The Pigeon

Details
Condition: Brand New
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780141041155 / 9780140105834
Publisher: Penguin

Overview
This Patrick Süskind two-book paperback set brings together two of the German author's most acclaimed novellas: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and The Pigeon. Both share Süskind's signature blend of meticulous prose, unsettling atmosphere, and deep psychological insight, following characters whose obsessive inner lives collide with the ordinary world around them. Perfume traces a man with an extraordinary sense of smell through eighteenth-century France, while The Pigeon follows a single unraveling day in a Parisian bank guard's tightly controlled life. Together they offer a compelling introduction to a celebrated voice in modern literary fiction.

About the Books
Patrick Süskind built his international reputation on a small but potent body of work, and this collection showcases the two novellas most responsible for it. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, first published in German in 1985, introduces Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, an orphan born in the stench of a Parisian fish market who discovers he possesses the most extraordinary sense of smell ever known—yet lacks any scent of his own. His pursuit of the perfect fragrance leads him from apprenticeship in a perfumer's workshop to a chilling, singular obsession that reshapes everything around him. The novel became an international bestseller, translated into numerous languages, and was later adapted into a major feature film starring Ben Whishaw. The Pigeon, published a few years later, narrows its focus to a single day in the life of Jonathan Noel, a Parisian bank security guard whose rigidly ordered existence is thrown into crisis by an unexpected encounter with a pigeon outside his apartment door. Where Perfume sprawls across decades, The Pigeon compresses its tension into hours, proving Süskind's range as a writer equally at home with epic scope and claustrophobic intensity. Read together, the two novellas reveal recurring preoccupations: the fragility of order, the isolating power of obsession, and the strange logic of characters operating just outside the bounds of normal society. Both novellas remain widely read staples of contemporary literary fiction, admired for their precision, atmosphere, and psychological depth.

Key Benefits

• Two acclaimed novellas by Patrick Süskind in one convenient paperback set
• Includes Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, the basis for the acclaimed feature film
• Compact, fast-reading format ideal for travel, commuting, or a weekend binge
• Rich, atmospheric prose that appeals to literary fiction and psychological thriller fans alike
• A thoughtful gift for readers who enjoy dark, character-driven European classics
• Great addition to any home library or book club reading list

Book-by-Book Guide
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer — Jean-Baptiste Grenouille's uncanny sense of smell drives him from a Paris perfumer's apprentice to the center of a chilling, obsessive quest.
The Pigeon — A single startling encounter with a pigeon unravels the meticulously ordered daily routine of Parisian bank guard Jonathan Noel.

About the Author
Patrick Süskind is a German author and screenwriter born in 1949 near Munich. He studied medieval and modern history at the University of Munich before turning to writing, first for television and then fiction. His 1985 novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer became an international sensation, translated into dozens of languages and adapted into a major film. Süskind followed it with other works, including The Pigeon, that showcase his precise, atmospheric style. Known for his reclusive nature and deliberate output, he remains one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary German literature.

Why You'll Love This Collection
Perfect for fans of dark, literary storytelling, this two-book set pairs a sprawling historical obsession with a tightly wound single-day drama. It's a great pick for book clubs, a thoughtful gift for the literary fiction reader on your list, or a rewarding addition to a stack of summer reading this season.

Please Note: This is the UK edition with the ISBN as listed; the cover may vary slightly from the image shown.