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Farina: Der Parfümeur von Köln (2010)

‘Farina: The Perfumer of Cologne’

by Imogen Cobden  

MLang German student at the University of Southampton

Ina Knobloch’s historical novel is the first of a two-part series chronicling the life of Giovanni Maria Farina, the Italian credited with inventing Eau de Cologne in 1709. In homage to his adopted city, Farina named his creation ‘Cologne’.

This first novel takes the reader from Farina’s birth in northern Italy in 1685, through Venice, Paris and Maastricht, to his eventual settling in Cologne in 1713. Narrated in the third person, the main strand of the novel is a linear narrative following Farina on his “Kavalierstour” (“grand tour”) through Europe, a practice undertaken by young, wealthy men in this period. The novel’s other plot line takes place entirely in 1713 and clarifies for the reader exactly how Farina came to live in Cologne permanently. Thus, the two strands of the plot are mixed together alternately, like essences in a perfume, so that the reader time travels between 1713 and the current year of Farina’s life from one chapter to another, until the two fragrant strands eventually meet in Cologne in July 1713. The novel ends with a nod to the future, but only to tell the reader what they already know: Giovanni Farina’s Eau de Cologne will become the most famous perfume in the world. Hence, the stage is set for the next novel, Der Duft von Köln (The Scent of Cologne), in which Farina must contend with a vicious rivalry and with political unrest throughout Europe, which threaten the success of his burgeoning perfume house in Cologne (Histo-Couch, 2017a).

Although Knobloch insists that this novel is based on true events (Knobloch, 2015: 2), this is not entirely true, as she later admits that “die Geschichte an sich frei erfunden ist” – “the story in itself is fictitious” (Knobloch, 2015: 382). Even some of the main characters were made up by her – not least of them Antonia, Farina’s great love, and Bernardo, his great rival, which was a disappointing discovery to make (Knobloch, 2015: 384). Consequently, it seems that Knobloch herself was more interested in the precise methods and materials (without revealing the perfume house’s closely guarded secret recipe) that Farina used to create his world-famous perfume, rather than the exact motivations that led him to undertake the task. Therefore, those hoping for a precise biography of Farina’s life will be disappointed; however, lovers of historical novels will find this book immensely enjoyable. However, Knobloch is incredibly good – in addition to being able to describe fragrances in an almost palpable way – at painting a picture of early modern Europe as experienced by a highly mobile population that considered travel and migration a fact of life. Indeed, sovereign borders seem to almost become invisible in Farina’s pre-nationalist world, in which one could purchase citizenship of a city, regardless of country of origin. Perhaps, given that world travel and migration are still significant phenomena today, such fluid notions of nationhood and citizenship should become part of daily life once more.

 

 

Histo-Couch (2017a). Farina: Der Duft von Köln – Ina Knobloch [online]. Norden: Literatur-Couch Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Available from: http://www.histo-couch.de/ina-knobloch-farina-der-duft-von-koeln.html [Accessed 24 March 2017].

Histo-Couch (2017b). Ina Knobloch [online]. Norden: Literatur-Couch Medien GmbH & Co. KG. Available from: http://www.histo-couch.de/ina-knobloch.html [Accessed 24 March 2017].

Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz (2017). Farina 1709 Eau de Cologne [online]. Cologne: Johann Maria Farina gegenüber dem Jülichs-Platz. Available from: https://farina1709.com/de/12-farina-1709-eau-de-cologne [Accessed 24 March 2017].

Knobloch, I. (2015). Farina: Der Parfümeur von Köln. 2nd edition. Cologne: Emons Verlag.