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Woodcutters
Series: Vintage International
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 8,884 ratings, 1,070 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Description
Fiercely observed, often hilarious, and “reminiscent of Ibsen and Strindberg” (The New York Times Book Review), this exquisitely controversial novel was initially banned in its author’s homeland.
A searing portrayal of Vienna’s bourgeoisie, Woodcutters begins with the arrival of an unnamed writer at an ‘artistic dinner’ hosted by a composer and his society wife—a couple he once admired and has come to loathe. The guest of honour, a distinguished actor from the Burgtheater, is late. As the other guests wait impatiently, they are seen through the critical eye of the writer, who narrates a silent but frenzied tirade against these former friends, most of whom have been brought together by Joana, a woman they buried earlier that day.
Reflections on Joana’s life and suicide are mixed with these denunciations until the famous actor arrives, bringing an explosive end to the evening that even the writer could not have seen coming.
Series: Vintage International
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Woodcutters by Thomas Bernhard is often praised for its incisive critique of Viennese society and its introspective narrative style. Critics frequently highlight Bernhard's acerbic wit and the novel's intense focus on existential themes. The book's narrative is sometimes described as relentless and compelling, reflecting the author's unique ability to probe deeply into the human psyche and societal conventions.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781400077595
Publisher: Random House USA Inc
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 10 August 2010
Country: United States
Imprint: Random House Inc
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 10.0mm
Width: 132.0mm
Height: 203.0mm
Weight: 170g
Pages: 192
About the Author
Thomas Bernhard was born in Holland in 1931 and grew up in Austria. He studied music at the Akademie Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 1957 he began a second career, as a playwright, poet, and novelist. The winner of the three most distinguished and coveted literary prizes awarded in Germany, he has become one of the most widely translated and admired writers of his generation. He published nine novels, an autobiography, one volume of poetry, four collections of short stories, and six volumes of plays. Thomas Bernhard died in Austria in 1989.
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Correction
Thomas Bernhard is one of the masters of contemporary European fiction. After Kafka's and Canetti's, his sensibility is one of the most acute, the most capable of exemplary images and gestures, in modern literature." — George Steiner, Times Literary Supplement Roithamer, a character based on Wittgenstein, has committed suicide having been driven to madness by his own frightening powers of...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips tomorrow -
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