Matou

Seven lives, one novel

Michael Köhlmeier’s opus magnum

Humanity’s great questions, seen from the perspective of a cat that lives its seven lives, from the French Revolution to the present day in a passionate quest to understand people.
A cat sits writing his memoirs in an attic in Vienna’s 9th district. His personal circle has included E.T.A Hoffmann and Andy Warhol, he has led an autocratic state on the cat island of Hydra and fought in the Congo against the colonial powers. His seven lives have been filled with great adventure. Matou isn’t just any old cat. He’s an exhilarating storyteller and an even greater philosopher. He’s the Homer of cats.
Matou is a passionate eulogy to humans and animals, filled with wit and irony. Michael Köhlmeier has created an unforgettable literary figure.


“Köhlmeier has succeeded in writing a monumental work, both materially and stylistically, with an unforgettable protagonist: a bragging smart alec, an epic puppet master and a self-proclaimed “Homer of cats”.
- Jérôme Jaminet, SWR2 lesenswert Magazin

“In Matou, a narrative feat of over 950 pages, Köhlmeier presents a new book that offers everything the Romanticist Friedrich Schlegel attributed to the modern novel in his famous Athenaeum fragment: tension and thoughtfulness, stylistic beauty and ingenuity, the fantastic and the real, dynamic dialogues, epic density and lyrical nuances.”
- Christian Schacherreiter, OÖ Nachrichten

“The whole thing is (...) definitely more than the sum of its parts, and Köhlmeier provides those who stay the course with an extraordinary, lavish read.”
- Christoph Winder, Der Standard

“Köhlmeier masterfully links individual episodes, storylines, pre- and reviews, poems, song lyrics and book lists into a convincing whole (...).”
- Irene Prugger, Wiener Zeitung

“Oh, if only you could read Matou like Matou himself – as quick as a flash and yet keeping every detail... brilliant Köhlmeier!”
- Wolfgang Schütz, Augsburger Allgemeine