Shadow-boxing
The last sentence on the back cover reads: "Its hero pursues an ultimate villain, the volatile Dr Unspeakable, through a bizarre labyrinth of situation and genre." - That summarizes H C Artmann's unusual creation fairly well, although I wouldn't define Dr U (who drifts in and out of proceedings) as an "ultimate" villain.

The book (which isn't a novel) consists of thirty-plus vignettes written in an elaborate and often enchanting style. Each snapshot ends with a short quote lifted from various sources which seem only vaguely relevant.

The shape-shifting Dr Unspeakable appears to be the author's alter ego or shadow or doppelganger or demon-on-the-shoulder or vardøger (good word!) - I might be wrong about this, but that's the impression I got.

Overall The Quest for Dr U is an entertaining albeit uneven read, the kind of book which could potentially be re-visited many times because of the hidden meanings and a sense of clever depth contained within each sketch.
However, as a whole, it doesn't quite hang together in a convincing way: its teleporting randomness may annoy some readers. That said, this is an enigmatic book, and is perhaps one for the inquisitive reader drawn to discover more than initially meets the eye. ( )