Patrick Süskind’s novel Das Parfum, Perfume, has sold millions of copies and has been translated into 45 languages. Its author turns down public appearances, interviews and even some prizes. After his essay Über Liebe und Tod, On Love and Death, appeared in 2006, he withdrew from public life completely.
When he turned 70 in 2019, his publisher stated: Er ist kein Phantom. Es gibt ihn wirklich. He is not a phantom. He really exists. In 2012 a newspaper printed a photograph of him that showed only his left eye and ear.