SOURCE: Lutze, Peter C. “The Armed Filmmaker: Donning the Autor Armor.” In Alexander Kluge: The Last Modernist, pp. 33-62. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1998.

In the following excerpt, Lutze provides an overview of Kluge's short fiction, noting that these stories often become the basis for his cinematic work.

Perhaps the two most salient qualities that Kluge has demonstrated through the years are a keen analytic intelligence and a pragmatism that borders on frugality when it comes to maximizing available resources. This shrewd productivity is nowhere more evident than in his construction of himself as a public figure. Kluge utilizes most of his talents and qualities to create a uniquely effective media persona. Kluge's public image is not radically different from his private personality. Rather, he has been able to exploit his qualities and accomplishments publicly in a way that is consonant with his personality.

One element in this...