My Favorite Book of 2024: “Werner Herzog”
Recently, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck in my writing, tired of the monotony, and bored by repeating myself. So, I decided to take a different direction with this article and write about something new.
In the past year, I’ve read over 20 books. Previously, I would write a review for each book I finished, but I haven’t done that this year. The main reason is that the knowledge density in these books wasn’t high enough to merit an article.
I’m almost done reading Werner Herzog’s interview biography, and it’s the best interview biography I’ve ever read. Earlier this year, I read about David Bowie, Robert Bresson, and Laterna Magica, but none of them compare to this book. Either the subjects lived shallow lives, weren’t good at expressing themselves, disliked interviews, or struggled too much in life.
Werner Herzog, on the other hand, is willing to express his views. He often writes his own scripts, narrates his documentaries, and has a rich life experience from shooting films around the world for over 40 years. You can learn life lessons from him and see a different world through his eyes.
The last time I encountered such a thoughtful and strong personality was when I read about Winston Churchill four years ago.
The difference lies in the interviewees’ personalities and perceptions, as well as the length of the books. A chapter in Herzog’s book is over 40 pages, totaling more than 600 pages. The last time I read a book this long was Lawrence of Arabia, and it’s been over half a year since I read a novel.
Now, I want to share some thoughts and ideas I had while reading Werner Herzog’s book. These are just a glimpse of the content; for the full experience, read “Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed Conversations with Paul Cronin.”
01
Consistent Expression Triumphs
Werner Herzog is undoubtedly willing and adept at expressing himself. He even taught a Rogue course, sharing filmmaking experiences not taught in schools.
In Paul Cronin’s short questions, Herzog easily provides two-page responses filled with stories and viewpoints.
Expression has always been my weak point. I prefer simplicity and directness and have always struggled to describe things well. My friends often point this out.
I’ve tried writing stories to capture scenes in my mind, but I ended up just writing results. The process was condensed into a single sentence, so I decided to use videos for details, scenery, and fragments. My writing is more suited for explanations, summaries, and expressing opinions.
Good storytellers have rich life experiences and are good at expressing themselves. They convey lessons through stories, not by directly stating them.
As for me, I just state my thoughts and summarize what I see. I’m not good at descriptions, and I won’t force myself to practice something I dislike. Why be a masochist?
I’m not fixated on the form, technique, or level of expression. What matters now is just expressing.
Have you ever used Jike? It’s a niche app that might not survive in a few years. Many users with a few hundred or thousand followers persistently express themselves, posting thoughts and feelings daily. Some, like a friend I met last year, grew from a few dozen followers to over a thousand by consistently posting.
Seeing their daily content can feel boring, but every niche has its audience. With a population of 1.4 billion, there’s always someone with similar thoughts.
Another thing that supports the idea that consistent expression is a victory is my observation of people’s WeChat moments. I delete those who post nothing or block me, but I keep those who share and express. No matter how mundane, it’s different content from different lives.
How will I act on consistent expression? This article itself is an action.
02
Taste and Perception Set the Limits
In this book, Werner mentions his favorite music and literature, which, after a quick Google search, turns out to be high-quality and niche like him.
A person’s taste isn’t isolated; it’s holistic and comprehensive, affecting the books they read, movies they make, music they love, and even their appearance. Taste is intuitive and subconscious, cultivated subtly without clear rules, just following your heart.
These intangible factors set our limits. At high levels, people attribute success to talent or genius, using these terms to describe excellence that’s hard to explain.
I first encountered the term ‘taste’ in school when a vice principal’s WeChat name was ‘Taste,’ mentioned by a colleague. Over time, I realized the impact of taste on me and now write about it.
In simple terms, taste is my intuitive preference.
03
It’s the Work That Counts After You’re Gone
This idea was clear in David Bowie’s interviews and Werner Herzog’s comments on Klaus Kinski. Despite being a demon in life, harassing his daughters who legally charged him, people remember Kinski for his work and roles after his death.
Werner says, “All these centuries later, the fact that Caravaggio was a murderer doesn’t change the way we look at his paintings.” Caravaggio is also my favorite painter, the only artist whose album I bought.
Werner constantly makes films, never stopping. “If I had to stop and analyze myself, there’s no doubt I would end up wrapped around the next tree.”
After reading his views, I started seeing all my outputs — articles, videos, even photos — as work. Even when facing bottlenecks, I switch directions and perspectives to keep moving forward.
Postscript
These three points are my main takeaways. The book has many of Werner’s views on filmmaking and life, with over 20 highlighted quotes. I won’t delve into them here.
Early this year, I planned to make my first documentary. I now have 1TB of video material and plan to edit it next month. Reading Werner’s book has motivated me to pursue what I want.