Matthias Triebel, a 53-year-old resident of Markt Schwaben who founded the social record store Rock Store and operates it at the Trödlerei secondhand warehouse on Färbergasse 23, wrote a 385-page thriller titled The Approach
using his right hand during his chemotherapy treatments and medical procedures. Triebel lost his left arm from the shoulder down following a diagnosis of an aggressive malignant soft-tissue sarcoma, which was discovered after he noticed a pimple on his left upper arm that grew rapidly in the summer of 2024.
Diagnosis and Amputation
Following the discovery of the growth, Triebel underwent chemotherapies, irradiations, and surgeries until doctors determined that amputating his left arm was necessary for him to survive. He now wears a battery-operated myoelectric shoulder prosthesis controlled by muscle contraction. The artificial arm functions only conditionally and frequently moves independently of his intentions during conversations. Reflecting on the aftermath of the procedure, Triebel recalled asking himself, Will I live like this?
before looking at the prosthesis and answering, Yes, I will.
Writing The Approach
During his treatments, Triebel wrote the manuscript to cope with his illness, stating, If I hadn’t written the book, I would have gone crazy.
The story connects his real-life experience with a cosmic apocalypse involving the downing of an alien ship. He noted that he wanted to avoid writing a cancer pity book
and instead developed a style he calls Bionic Expressionism,
describing a language as cold and precise as a scalpel that captures biological system failure. Triebel, who has spent more than 25 years in the distribution of German publishing houses, is currently searching for a publisher or literary agent to release the work.
