Austria Books

Last summer my family and I traveled in Germany, Austria, and several other European countries, and I wish that we had had a guide such as the German Survival Guide with us then. I would find the material inside the front and back covers very useful. It is quick to locate, and the information given includes the terms and phrases that people need most often. For additional words, the German-English and English-German dictionaries are available at the end of the book. The specific chapter we would have used the most would be Ch. 3 on Restaurants and Food since we frequently ate at restaurants without English on the menu. The other parts that are especially helpful are the cultural notes that are interspersed throughout the book. If we travel in Germany again, we definitely will take this book with us!

I have never been to germany although one day I really hope to go. My husband is german and his mother does not speak a lick of English. This desperate daughter-in-law was saved many embarrassing and fustrating moments by this book. It is a handy size to keep in the car or in a good size purse. I had to live with my MIL for a couple months and weeks at a time and this book has helped me communicate with her on many levels about many necessary topics, especially when my husband wasnt always around to translate or got tired of it.
Granted it doesnt have every single thing about germans in it but it sure has made my life easier.

I am very impressed by the information in the German Survival Guide. I took German in college several years ago and had forgotten most of what I had learned, so the guide is a great refresher. The pronunciation guide is excellent and very easy to read. Even if I had not had German, I would be able to pronounce the words in an appropriate manner in order ask for the things I would need.

In addition to the pronuncation guide, the cultural notes are great. I think that when traveling this is a very important aspect, as I certainly do not want to do something or say something to upset the native speakers.

I have traveled to many different countries and if I would have had a guide such as this, I would have been better prepared and less apprehensive about the language and the customs of the country.

The ultimate compliment you can pay a travel guide? "Works as advertised". I'd argue the same goes for this survival guide of Germany and to a less extent, Austria.

I acquired a handful, really just a small amount of German as a result of this book, but I used it all for twelve days, and it made a world of difference. The cultural notes, however, were of even greater value: *when* to use phrases is integral to knowing *how*.

My only two concerns, a half-star I withhold for each: the two-cassette method of delivery and a too-small glossary/ vocabulary/ dictionary. Pack a CD with the book and it's a five-star value; pack another forty pages of German-English word translations and it's official.

However, if you're serious about German, get the FSI course; if you need a German-English dictionary, pick up a Collins Pocket Gem. Tschüs!

Ideal for anyone contemplating a precarious excursion to Germany.

These letters provide wonderful insight into the life of the man who was Mozart. These are not just letters from the Divine Maestro writing about his music, but mostly from the fun loving master of silly yet clever wordplay and language games; the virtuoso of scatology; the fool who falls in love head over heels but is rejected by the object of his infatuation; the son, all alone with his mother on her deathbed in a dark and depressing Parisian room; the lover who sometimes writes horny and funny, passionate words to his wife; the cash-strapped protégé, constantly begging patrons and moneylenders for more money.
I've always loved the Maestro Mozart, but I confess I like the Maestro/Man Trazom even better.

What a fine accomplishment! According to the introduction, this book contains about 2/3 of Mozart's surviving correspondence. It has letters from and to Mozart and the translations are very lively and bring the personality of the composer to life. In older translations it seems that care was taken to make him sound like the monumental cultural force that he has become. But in this book, Mozart is a boy, a young man, a young husband, a fiery genius, and at times lost, grieving, and even confused.

The book is organized chronologically and provides biographical information that gives each letter some context. There are many useful footnotes as well as a couple of maps and list of Mozart's travels. The author has even included some notes about the various currencies in order to help the reader understand the discussions of money in the letters.

I can't emphasize enough what a lively read this book is. I found that I simply didn't get bogged down and enjoyed reading it. Yes, there are some portions of some letters I skipped, but that is one of the beauties of the book. You don't get lost simply because you skipped some mundane portions of one letter or another.

Mr. Spaethling is to be congratulated on this fine achievement. If you are interested in Mozart in any way, this book will deepen your appreciation of the living breathing person who wrote all that music. It didn't come from some alien dimension. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, this wonderful and complex human being did it all and we are much richer for it.

If you are interested in everyday lives and struggles of geniuses, this is a book for you. Most of us know Mozart as a great composer, but he also wrote passionate letters to his friends and loved ones. His writing style and personality allow us to understand his times more and to have a closer look at the person that he was.

Mozart's full and final dedication to his work was exemplary; no doubt, his music spoke for the conscience of the world and his audience felt an almost religious faith in it. But the young man had frivolous and fun-loving personality, and his closeness to infantile notions was apparent with friends, relatives and pupils.
Mozart was possessor of the least inhibited tongue even in his contacts with serious foundations like Archbishopric or Freemasonry that mismatched the depth of notes he wrote.
This composer genius was filled with spontaneous strong-willed passion for music if weak-witted for romance and throughout the wide spectrum of his works involving every conceivable style of symphonies, operas, and orchestral pieces - some of the finest ever written - Mozart produced something truer than love.

Those of us who know a little about Mozart believe that he was perfection incarnate, part angel, fluttering down to endow the world with heavenly music. (There probably is some truth to that.) This book, however, reveals a whole new side of Mozart, a very human side. As beautiful as Mozart's music is, the more beautiful it becomes after reading this book. Understanding his big heart, hard work and, yes, even imperfections, increases one's appreciation of his music.

This is a well-researched book by Robbins Landon not only giving a detailed glimpse of Mozart in 1791 but also the ongoing intrigues associated with life in late 18th century Vienna. Discussed in detail are the three main compositions that he completed during this final year: those being, The Magic Flute, La Clemenza di Tito and his Requiem. There is an interesting section on Mozart's death and the myths and suspicions associated with his final illness. The last chapter is devoted to Constanze and her struggles to survive after Mozart's death.

The book has extensive reference notes, a detailed bibliography and an index that list people who were part of Mozart's life during this period. Also included are some interesting sketches of Mozart's apartment and an area map of Vienna where he and Constanze live in during his last year.

What I personally found of interest, resulted from the extra measures that Robbins Landon goes to give added details on some topics (in particular the 3 works mentioned above). Insights as to the sequencing of construction, participation of other people and outside distractions that influenced Mozart's ability to work on and complete these projects. For example: the fact that 5 different types of sheet paper were used by Mozart during the writing of "La Clemenza di Tito" gives clues not only as to the actual chronological order that some of the scenes were composed, but also an idea as to the geographic locales where different parts this opera was conceived. i.e. Prague or Vienna

It seems hard to believe that retrieving accurate material on Mozart's life and music would be difficult, given his fame. You'd just assume that every note (musical or otherwise) that he wrote would have been recorded for the sake of posterity: sadly, such is not the case. Although Mozart was regarded as a brilliant musician during his time he was only recognized for his true genius, posthumously. So, although a lot of the musical scores, letters, writings and conversation have survived, many were lost or went missing over the past 200 years. What a pity!

Well written and informative. This is certainly a book of special interest, but one that goes beyond the superficial discussions of Mozart's life. Recommended!

The author's affection and esteem for Mozart is apparent throughout, and his enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. This is obviously a work of careful scholarship, but the writing style is so fluid and the topic so engaging that this book can be appreciated by both serious musicians and Mozart-loving non-musicians alike. It addresses many of the subjects that the movie 'Amadeus' touched on--Salieri's jealousy, the writing of the Requiem, Mozart's final illness, etc. but, unlike the movie, it is content to let the unembellished facts tell the compelling story of the last year of the composer's life. A fascinating, well-written book.

This is a good book to read late at night, in the woods, alone. If you enjoy Mozart then...you might like this! This is my favorite book on Mozart I'd have to say. The last year of his life is an interesting subject and has become quite a little legend. This here book does a good job of taking apart that year and separating what probably isn't true from what probably is true. I'm trying to not use the saying, "separates fact from fiction," because I hate that saying. Really though, it does a good job of it. Well done research and all that. The mysterious flavor of the story of his last year is still kept in place. If you've never read a book on Mozart, don't fear. Everything leading up to his last year is included, making this a good book for the Mozart student and professor. I sure say a lot of smart things! So anyways, all that aside, this is a good read and even if you aren't exactly like me you will probably like it. There.

1791, Mozart's Last Year is a fairly short (199 pages plus appendices, notes, and index) book about the last year of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the famous composer. Among the things discussed are the possibility of Mozart's receiving a good paying position in the Vienna cathedral, his involvement with the Masons, and the circumstances surrounding the composition of La Clemenza di Tito, Die Zauberfloete (The Magic Flute), and the Requiem. Chapters also provide more general background about life in Vienna at the time. One chapter is devoted to the facts about Mozart's last illness, and other explores various myths and theories about it. A final chapter refutes some criticisms of Mozart's wife Constanze. The book is very well written, and appears to be the product of considerable knowledge and research. Included are some photographs and illustrations.

After reading "Mozart's Letters, Mozart's Life" by Robert Spaethling, this book was a nice transition. Both books are worth buying and reading. Mr. Robbins presented "Mozart's Last Year" logically and held my interest to the end.

The references to Haydn and his relationship with Mozart gave me some really new insight into how the two interacted and regarded the other. The research that was involved in this book lends credit to the contents, which were presented in a common sense way. Mr. Robbins has written a book that, I feel, is a "must read" for anyone interested to learn about Mozart's life and circumstance. A lot of rumors were put to rest. I learned a lot I did not know. I learned a lot about people who touched Mozart's life. I like the fact that he gave Constanze the respect she deserves as one who saved Mozart's works for us to enjoy! Great Job!

Martinusen writes with confidence in this sequel to "Winter Passing." She paints believable characters, beautiful landscapes, and conflicts that aren't oversimplified. Although the book stands alone, the tie-ins to the previous novel are well handled.

The story starts with a heart-rending hook: Kate Porter's husband disappears during their trip to Venice. The only evidence of any wrongdoing is a broken blue tile. Three years later, she has no answers and is going on with her life. Soon, Kate is dragged into a plot that involves family secrets and national sins. The search for the truth will lead her back to Europe and the heart of the Nazi evil.

I had two complaints while reading. First, on the trivial side, the city of Corvalis (Kate's hometown) is actually spelled "Corvallis." I lived near there, so this inaccuracy tripped me up throughout. Second, the meaning of the blue tiles was anticlimactic and felt forced. Still, this is a story that is so much stronger than those issues and deserves to be read for entertainment and enlightenment both.

"Blue Night" has its dark side, but it won't leave you feeling blue. I can't wait to read the third book, "North of Tomorrow."

Set in Oregon, California, Venice and Austria, Cindy Martinusen's wonderful book, Blue Night, is a compelling, suspenseful read, the next in the Winter Passing trilogy.

I REALLY enjoyed this book. Kate Porter's plight as she attempts to put her life in some sort of meaningful order after the disappearance of her husband, Jack, was a heart-tugger. She was all that a heroine needed to be: tender, brave, frightened and adventureous. I loved coming alongside Kate, walking with her as she tried to find Jack and solve the mystery. Since I didn't want it to end, it made me happy that one more book in the trilogy was yet to come.

Be sure to consider Cindy's books when you are looking for a good read. They are terrific!

I thought this was a great book. I loved it and I would recomend it. I hate it when I'm reading and the book is totally predictable, but this book wasn't at all, and that's what kept me reading. I also liked how it has stuff in there about God.

I read the first book, Winter Passing, about a year ago. I picked this one up recently and didn't put it down until I was finished! I look forward to many more books from this author.

This book was the best book I have ever read. I picked it up for a book report for my Church History class. I had 3 days to read it, and because it was so good, it wasn't that hard. The way she rights is very good. Kate Porter was a great character and so was Lukas. If you are even debating getting this, get it! You'll love it.

This is not intended as a complete review, as I have nothing to add to the other reviews which appear in this space. However, in what is otherwise a thought-provoking and inspiring book, there are some lapses in German usage which are a little disconcerting. Nouns in German always capitalize the first letter, so it is a bit wierd to see Hitler referred to as "the fuhrer" rather than "the Fuhrer". (And the capitalization would give a better sense of his own self-importance.) Also, in spite of the fact that recent spelling modifications now render the combination "oe" as a single "o" with an umlaut, this does not usually apply to dead historical personages such as Goering or Goethe.

Outstanding book....couldn't put it down. As a psychology teacher this book really put into perspective Freud and his relationship to Hitler and many other prominent leaders of the time. Historically, it brought together so many of the major movers and shakers of Hitler's quest for power. Highly recommend for those interested in Freud or Hitler.

"The Death of Sigmund Freud" is a timely look at the last days of Freud since he was facing the march of Nazism, and since after 9-11, the US has tilted quite a bit to the Right, and it is wise to weigh into possible reasons to be concerned about tilting further, and a look from Freud's perspective is certainly interesting.

Since anti-Semitism was rampant at the time, from the book, critics did say that psychoanalysis was right, just that it was a 'Jewish Science' only applying to Jews, an attempt to discredit it. Some of Freud's thoughts on the matter were:

1. Freud called the relationship crowds form with an absolute leader, erotic. Hitler, himself, in his speeches said that he made love to the German masses. Essentially, the crowds become hypnotized. Not that we are anywhere near such a situation, but one surely can notice a more 'patriotic' tone to many of the current presidential supporters and calling dissenters un-patriotic.

2. Inner conflict, between one's ego, id, and superego, is not only inevitable, but desirable to better modify behavior. Seeking some perpetual, peaceful state is dangerous because it is more likely to erupt into really bad behavior. So, public dissent is healthy and should be encouraged.

3. Freud, a Jew, recognized in monotheism, that the ability to internalize an invisible god prepares a person to think more abstractly. He saw Jews' long history with that as allowing Jews to distinguish themselves in math, sciences, law and literary arts, ways which effect some control over nature. Better to have some invisible god, than some human authoritarian one, be it political or some religious one who tries to have crowds focus on him or her. Freud felt that such thinking made Jews more likely to reject pageantry and less susceptible to elevating humans to god-like status, one reason for anti-Semitism to run rampant as Nazis knew they would meet resistance from Jews. Not that one should conclude that Judaism is superior, just that the internalizing of an invisible god is the important part of monotheism.

4. Rather than blame something about Germany, Japan or Italy for the rise of 20th century fascism, Freud felt that internally we are all fascists/fundamentalists, at least potentially. So, it is the inner conflict we need to use to overcome it. Once again, dissent is healthy.

A very interesting book!

The Death of Sigmund Freud is a perfect companion book to the bigger Freud biographies ... a critical addition to the Freud section of your personal library on this fascinating man, doctor, thinker. The author begins the narrative just before Freud fled Vienna for England ... and it ends with Freud's pitiful death.

The comparative exploration of the life of Hitler and Freud as Europe began to change is interesting and well constructed, but the real fascination is found in the details of Freud's working and personal life. I think the real punch in a biography is felt at the point in the book where you feel the subject's been fleshed out ... really captured by the author ... and Freud is now more real and understood in my mind than ever before. He's a mythic personality now. He was back in his day. Edmundson has rendered Freud's human, day-to-day life beautifully ... and what Freud professionally and personally believed, whether it's believable to us or not.

Reviewer Todd Sentell, a Psychology major who graduated "Oh Lordy," is also the author of the hilarious social satire, TOONAMINT OF CHAMPIONS

OK, who were the most influential people of the 20th century? Einstein, Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and Freud. You can jockey the order, probably add Hitler depending on your definition of "influential", but that's the short list.

Freud's life as a writer/thinker, like Churchill's and Einstein's, was very long. If you want to learn something about this giant, you definitely want to start slowly. THE DEATH OF SIGMUND FREUD is a great way to get a feel for both the man and what he stood for. Mark Edmundson picks up Freud, after a brief introduction about Vienna in 1909, in 1938. Freud is 81, in poor health, and about to come under Adolf Hitler's Anchluss.

Edmundson, in this short volume, gives you a great feel for how Sigmund Freud lived: how his study looked, his industriousness, his love of dogs, his relationship with his daughter Anna, his relationships with his disciples, what Freud's Vienna was like, what he collected, his (ultimately dangerous) love of cigars, etc. Even if the book did nothing more than accumulate these bits of Freud's life in 1938 and 1939, it would be wonderful, because what can an author do beyond transporting the reader to a place and time? And what a place and time! Freud, Hitler, Vienna, Anchluss.

The author also gives readers a great short course on some of Sigmund Freud's work. As certain subjects dominate the last year of Freud's life - the rise of Nazism, his relationship with his daughter, the need for conflict in his life to create brilliant work, his enjoyment and suspicion of fame, his need to shock and create controversy (to name a few) - Edmundson describes how Freud wrote about those matters, quoting from and summarizing Sigmund's most famous theories and ideas, usually from works created decades before.

Even as an introduction to Sigmund Freud, this book is incomplete (though by design). But it gives you a taste as well as a feeling you're following Freud at the end of his life, trying to make sense of it all. You may find yourself, like me, back on Amazon.com looking for a comprehensive biography of Freud and ordering translations of some of his classic works. I'd say that's a pretty high compliment for the book and author.

A fine introduction to the extraordinary art of an Austrian painter doomed to a short but productive life.

Professor Rudolf Leopold is a master of explaining the style of Egon Schiele, while revealing to the reader the physical origin of the specific impulse behind many of Schiele's land- and cityscapes.

I urge those with any interest in modern art to buy this book, and, if at all possible, visit the originals in the great museums of Vienna, especially the Leopold.

This book is centered on a hitherto less well-known aspect of Egon Schiele's art, i.e. his landscapes. The catalogue for a 2004 exhibition held at the Leopold Museum in Vienna (the largest Schiele collection in the world), it was written by Rudolph Leopold himself (the founder of the museum and largest Schiele collector in the world). It lists most of the landscapes painted by Schiele chronologically, whether painting or drawing, and describes each of them very thoroughly. Some works which at the time (2004) were believed lost (a magnificent Krumau landscape and a beautiful sunflower painting) have since then reappeared on the art market and made headlines as they sold for record prices.

The illustrations are of a good quality, even though not as perfect as the ones that grace another available book on the same subject, "Egon Schiele's landscapes, between ruin and renewal" which is a more literary and less purely factual work.

Of all the Schiele monographs I own, this is my favourite one. I love Schiele's drawings and watercolors, I can get lost in them, mesmerized by a single casual line that defines a thigh or an arm; I love his portraits, his oils... but most of all I love his townscapes and landscapes, so this book as an absolute treasure.
Great quality reproductions, wonderful b/w photographs of places/towns/buildings he painted (taken from the same perspective as they appear in his paintings).
Highly recommended.

The credit for the first notion of publishing a book strictly devoted to Schiele's landscapes (and cityscapes) deservedly goes to Kimberly A. Smith/Yale University Press. One might say that it was a bit sneaky of Rudolf Leopold & the Leopold Museum, after having been interviewed and providing reproductions for said effort to in the same year mount this comprehensive exhibition and publish this sumptuous catalogue.

I'm not saying that, because the reproductions are better and the text doesn't suffer from the pompousnous of Deconstructionism. This is a gorgeous book. As well, some of the paintings are paired with period photos/postcards of the actual scenes Schiele painted. Leopold vastly expounded upon this conceit by researching and seeking out with camera a large number of photographs of Schiele's motifs. It's hugely interesting to see how little certain corners of Austria have changed in nearly a hundred years.

Of particularly poignant, and instructive, note, is the volume's side-by-side reproduction of Schiele's "Autumn Trees I" of 1911, held in a private collection. The original, as widely reproduced--indeed in the Smith/Yale book, albeit poorly--has been ruined by a "restorer" who decided that the pink striations in the sky had been added by a later hand.

If you're interested in Schiele's landscapes, buy this book. Buy this book and turn to pages 84-5 and weep with me.

A chronological presentation of Egon Shielle's landscape paintings, commencing with works produced when he was only sixteen. Each painting is reproduced in colour on one page with brief informative explanatory notes on the facing page, and invariably with additional photographs usually of the actual scene depicted in the painting, and occasionally Shielle's own preliminary sketches. The book concludes with a brief illustrated biography, and bibliography. A most informative and beautifully illustrated publication with text kept to a minimum and free from pompous waffle.

I think it's one of the best action thrillers of the past year. Singerman takes his story around the world from the end of WWII to present, with an array of interesting characters all of whom will interlock with at least one other as the story builds to its exciting conclusion.

In 1945 a woman is murdered in Austria. Solomon Kessler picks up an album of concentration camp photos her killers sought. Fifty years later an Argentine assassin kills CID Special Agent Stan Erland. Erland's boss McKenzie Rockett and Angela Becker are on the case. Erland had also been investigating the execution style murder of psychic Leo Weiser who, it happens, was Soloman Kessler living under a new identity.

Angela, an ex-model who grew up wealthy, now a cop and part-time social worker who loves fast cars, is an all around great character. Rockett brings in Roland Troy, ex-homicide detective and martial arts pro with a complicated past to team up with Angela, and a great partnership is formed.

Leo's wife Justine tells Angela that Leo had recently spotted someone from his past. Before Angela knows it, the reader realizes Leo saw Novac DuCharme, a super rich white supremacist who was a sadistic concentration camp guard in 1945.

At the halfway point another force comes into the story, Chotoku Nakama a.k.a. Bassai, an Asian warlord who nursed Roland Troy to health after an incident in Viet Nam. An Iranian arms dealer comes to Bassai offering a shipment intended for DuCharme, and Bassai takes an action that lets Troy know he's around if he needs him.

After 280 pages the bang-bang pace suddenly drifts to something more serene. Troy goes back to Vermont. Then Leo's widow Justine reappears, and things start back up. It builds to an exciting conclusion, a little more violence than necessary, but overall a great action story tying past and present together in a well balanced, exciting finale.

Boynton Beach Fl. U.S.A. I couldn't put it down until I finished. The places and people kept me going from page to page. Good luck and lets see more of this type of stories soon.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS

This book is a must-read. One of the best I've come across this year, and I do read a lot. Singerman has a nice, easy style. This work is a page-turner. The story, the characters, and the locales are all believable. I'm hoping the wait for his next book won't be too long.

See story summary above.

I was hooked from page one! This book has everything I like. Suspense, thrills, international locales, and most of all a writing style that fits the story. Story includes old nazis mixed in with international business, psychics, and small town life in the florida swamps. Unusual characters and unique settings set this thrller apart from most others. One Problem though....The art and design of the cover was terrible. It made it look like a dime store mystery, when it was anything but. I truly am looking forward to Singerman's next novel.

Highly recommended.

Wow! I loved this book it had everything,suspense,romance and lots of action.From the very first chapter I was taken away to another world and I became Angela Becker. Philip Singerman drew me in and kept me there over the entire holiday. I relish a book that has the power to alter my life. Singerman must be a publishers dream. I hope he will be encouraged to make a series following Proof Positive.

This is a non fiction book by Joseph Roth whose other books are mainly fiction - he was a prized journalist and writes like the best of both worlds - this book is an extraordinary picture of a period of life which we don't know enough about - because WW II got in the way and rendered information about Jews and life in Germany and eastern Europe in the 20's and 30's sort of academic and moot - It is an important and compelling and sad book - sad because we readers know facts that the author doesn't - we know what happened and he doesn't know the future. It is a valuable book which I have recommended and given to many friends.

"The Wandering Jews" of the title are the displaced and unwanted Jews of Eastern Europe (from where Roth himself came before he made himself into one of Western Europe's foremost journalists and writers) before World War II. As Roth puts it, "Eastern Jews have no home anywhere, but their graves may be found in every cemetery." And as Roth foreshadowed (that line originally was published in 1925; this translation also includes the preface and an afterword to the later 1937 edition), the plight of the Eastern Jews only promised to become more dire. Indeed, one senses that Roth despaired that any strident alarm would be in vain. Thus, more than an alarm, THE WANDERING JEWS is a requiem. (And Roth went on to drink himself to death in 1939.)

In the first part of the book, Roth sets out to limn the character and essence of the Eastern Jew. I am willing to believe that he is thoroughly successful. (Example: "None of the many untrue and unjust accusations that are brought against Eastern Jews by the West are as untrue and unjust as the accusation that they are what the gutter press likes to call Bolshevik. Of all the world's poor, the poor Jew is surely the most conservative.")

In the second part of the book, Roth provides snapshots of five different aggregations of the Eastern Jews -- in the ghettoes of Vienna, Berlin, and Paris, in America (where there are "people who are more Jewish than the Jews, which is to say the Negroes"), and in Soviet Russia. As for the future of the Jews in Russia, Roth was somewhat optimistic in 1925, but by 1937 that optimism had been dispelled altogether. (Roth thus proved himself more cold-bloodedly realistic than many contemporary European liberals.)

Joseph Roth was a superb writer and a masterful polemicist. (I recently read a collection of H.L. Mencken's journalism, this particular one "A Religious Orgy in Tennessee", dealing with the Scopes Monkey Trial, and while there are obvious similarities between Roth and Mencken, who were contemporaries, Roth was by far the better and more cultured writer.) Here, the sardonic and sarcastic tone, albeit understandable, is at times wearing, but it is readily tolerated and forgiven by virtue of the sheer acuity of Roth's intellect and insights and by his compassion.

Roth is extremely prescient, not only about communism and Soviet Russia and about the Nazis and the Holocaust ("Centuries of civilization are no guarantee that a European people, by some ghastly curse of fate, will not revert to barbarism."), but also, startlingly so, about the Zionist/Palestinian dilemma. With regard to that last conundrum, I will let Roth, once again, speak for himself:

"Zionism and nationhood are by their nature Western European ideals * * *. Only in the East do people live who are unconcerned with their "nationality", in the Western European sense. They speak several languages, are themselves the product of several generations of mixed marriages, and fatherland for them is whichever country happens to conscript them. * * * Natiionality is a Western concept."

"The young halutzim [Zionist Jews who seek to establish a Jewish presence in Palestine] are brave farmers and workers, and they demonstrate the willingness of the Jew to work and till the fields and become sons of the soil, in spite of having spent hundreds of years among books. Unfortunately the halutzim are also oblighed to take up arms, to be soldiers, and to protect the land against the Arabs. Thus the European example has been carried into Palestine. * * * The Jew has a right to Palestine, not because he once came from there but because no other country will have him. The Arab's fear for his freedom is just as easy to understand as the Jew's genuine intention to play fair by his neighbor. And despite all that, the immigration of young Jews into Palestine increasingly suggests a kind of Jewish Crusade, because, unfortunately, they also shoot."

This is a remarkable and brilliant portrait of a marginal and now tragically vanished people by a remarkable and brilliant person.

Joseph Roth's "The Wandering Jews" is one of the best written and most important books about East European Jews ever published. At a time of growing anti-Semitism (the first edition was written in 1926 and an update was published in Paris in 1937) and an immigration crisis affecting Germany as countless refugees poured into Berlin from the East, Roth--himself a Jew from Galicia, the easternmost part of the former Austrian empire--creates a sympathetic yet clearsighted portrait of contemporary Jewish life. In the process he effectively responds to all the stereotypes and libels heaped on East European Jews. For the contemporary reader, however, what is most affecting about this portrait is Roth's ability to convey a panorama of Jewish life on the brink of destruction. Though no one (except maybe Hitler) could have predicted, even in 1937, the extent of the devastation that would be visited on European Jewry, Roth's writing in this book serves as an indelible and moving memorial to a civilization that would soon disappear forever. It must therefore count among the first books in what would now be called "Holocaust literature," and one of the most meaningful works of protest literature--protest against the stereotypes that reduced Jews to objects of scorn and contempt; protest against the violence that would ensue from these stereotypes--of all time. Michael Hofmann's understated and articulate translation of this poignant, heartbreaking little book is a tremendous service for English-language readers. It fills in a vital space in the emerging image of Joesph Roth, a writer finally receiving his due in the precincts of European modernism, and it should be read by everyone interested in good writing and the problems of 20th century history.

Again and again--with one neat phrase--Roth puts anxieties into words that it took others whole books to communicate, and then, only vaguely. Not even the magnificent Kafka comes close to a tidy phrase of self-condemnation such as this, referring to the deracinated Western Jew, with his "secret perversities, his cringing before the law, his well-bred hat held in his anxious hand". This statement took my breath away. So did many others in this short book throbbing with love, fear, and sadness. Roth was himself a Jew, one of the thousands who had served his "adopted 'country' " in the Great War (as so many other Jews did for so many other countries) only to have reality--eternal victimhood, eternal wandering--thrust him away, from Vienna, to Berlin, and then to Paris. Like so many educated Western Jews, he looked back to the shtetl with admiration for its nurturing of an authentic self (coupled with a faint relief at not having to live there). This tension--and its guilt-feelings--are so tidily explained in Roth, and his predictions made in the 1930's so chilling--that I jumped almost with relief on his touting the Soviet Union as a better place for Jews. Ah...but an afterward to the second edition contains Roth's warning that things in the USSR have changed, and perhaps his enthusiasm was misplaced...

Then, reader, I cried uncle. Joseph Roth was perfect. Anger and love mix with poetry and humility. He neither rolls in the mud of guilt, nor clutches an ideology through all contrary evidence. Instead, he sings Kaddish for a people gone, a people authentic and pure and of, as Kafka said, "the prayer shawl, now flying away from us..."

This book was a paen by a 'civilized (read westernized)' Jew on the cusp of WW2 and the holocaust. Roth travelled in most of post-WW1 Eastern Europe to learn the plight of his Jewish compatriots. In the original edition (written in 1926) he speaks of Eastern European Jews (mostly those of Galicia and the remnants of the Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires) being able to find freedom of conscience and a world without anti-semitism by moving to the West. Unfortunately, by the West he meant Germany.

In the epilogue of the 1937 edition (which he wrote from self-exile in Paris) he takes the "New Germany" to task for the treatment of the Jews. He make major points as to the failure of the League of Nations to protect the Versailles Treaty 'national minorities' and specifically the treatment of DPs (displaced persons, people literally without a country). He makes the point that animals are protected in most countries better than Jews and DPs.

He is prescient when he speaks of an 'impending disaster' and seems to presage 'donor burnout'. He tells how right after a calamity, everyone seems to want to pitch in, but after awhile, except for a few philantropists, everyone pretty much wants to go back to their own lives.
This book is among the strongest statements made prior to WW2 of the approaching calamity, not just for Jews but all of Europe.

In flowing very easy to read detail "Winds of Life" tells the story of an ordinary boy and then man who was sweep along by the forces of history. From the horrors of a concentration camp to the pulse of life in Palestine one can develop an understanding of this period of history. Mr. Evan writes in a soft non political way that allows the reader to experience his life. This book is a very pleasureable great read.

Winds of Life describes first person life in pre-war Vienna and the German assault on the people of Europe. Mr. Gershon takes the reader with him to Palestine while running the British blockade and entering into the conflicts of an emerging country. His unique perspective as a young adult in the newly created Palestine gives you insight in to the wheres and whys of the current Middle East.

Winds of Life is in no way a "them and us" - it is a description of countless factions and divergent ideas presented to a young man experiecing life on his own. His decision process in chosing direction is very enlightening.

Interesting story of a young man who survived many hardships during the holocaust and during the building of a new nation. Couldn't put this book down I finished reading it.

This is a spellbinder of a book that describes in amazing detail the hardships endured and overcome by the author as he escapes the Nazi regime and makes his way to Israel, resettles there, marries and then emigrates once more to the United States. The writing in this book is exquisite and one feels he stands right beside the author as he endures the terrible hardhsips and overcomes mans inhumanity to man. A book not to be missed.

I had the pleasure of meeting Gershon Evan in his mid-70's,and his wife, Rina, within my medical practice. Evan mentioned that he was trying to publish his story which he felt was worth telling. Not only is it worth telling as a historical parallel to the holocost and the subsequent establishment of Israel, but it was well told; at times Hemmingway-esque in the journalistic details of army life, and at times the sad personal tale of a 16 year old youth displaced from his family and his life.

Anyone with a serious interest in the late Habsburg Empire, Austria-Hungary, or Viennese culture should probably read this erudite, encyclopedic study. Johnston deserves praise for taking on a challenging subject. His extensive research and learning are obvious in the bibliography, notes, and the many names rescued from oblivion (many probably discussed here in English for the first time). Parts of this book are outstanding. That being said, I do not share the enthusiasm of other reviewers. In his search for overarching cultural forms or attitudes (such as "therapeutic nihilism"), Johnston makes too many sweeping generalizations, reducing individuals and their actions to sociological categories or cultural stereotypes. The people he describes often seem like caricatures. Not everyone in Vienna was neurotic, death-obsessed, or a dandy on the Ringstrasse. At one point he makes the far-fetched claim that the Hungarian language, by its very structure, causes Hungarians to become dreamers, disinclined to scrutinize reality. Johnston pigeonholes individuals by their ethnicity, religion, or nationality. He emphasizes conflicts among the different peoples and groups in the empire, but says little about the cultural cross-fertilization that also took place. He does recognize that the multilingual environment inspired reflection on the problems of language.

This is essentially a history of intellectual movements (who taught or influenced whom), not a social or cultural history, as the title might suggest. It does not say much about the politics of the era or the broader society (the section about Hungary is an exception). Johnston is at his best and most informative in discussing economists, legal theorists, and philosophers. The sections about philosophy and social theories are perhaps the most interesting, showing a range of thinkers, some of whom were very prescient concerning the future of Austria and Europe, and whose theories ranged from the utopian to the pessimistic to the sinister.

Johnston falters with literature and the arts. He treats Johann Strauss Jr. and his music in a rather dismissive way, seeming to overlook the fact that Strauss was a very good composer whose works quickly became popular all over the Western world and are still enjoyed more than a hundred years later. (For a better discussion of operetta as a cultural form, see Peter Hanak's book on Budapest and Vienna, "The Garden and the Workshop"). An artist as important as Oskar Kokoschka is quickly passed over in a few short paragraphs, conveying no sense at all of how Kokoschka's work developed and changed during his long productive lifetime. Other artists and works (Kolo Moser and the Wiener Werkstatte design studio, the operatic collaborations of Hofmannsthal and Richard Strauss, Ernst Krenek) are not mentioned at all. This is too bad, because the art and music of this period are perhaps its most lasting legacy. By contrast, the stature of psychoanalysis has declined since the 1960s, when this book was written, and the presentation of Freud in particular seems dated.

Some details: Johnston does not translate any of the many German titles he cites, a disadvantage for those who don't read German. He often refers to the "Herrenhaus," the Upper House of Parliament, without explaining the term. He mentions Marcionism many times, but defines it only after more than two hundred pages. Ditto for Herbartianism. Readers should have some background knowledge before starting, and be prepared to question some of the author's analysis and conclusions.

This book is packed with detailed information, and we learn a great deal from it, but somehow the full color and complexity of life have gone missing. Its strength is in the details, not the synthesis. We do not come closer to understanding the forces behind the unique cultural flowering of Central Europe, and of fin-de-siecle Vienna in particular. The prodigious creativity of that place and time remain as mysterious as before.

This is a wonderful book for all intellectual historians, and cultural historians interested in fin-de-siecle Austro-Hungary. It's a tour de force if ever there were one! But it manages to remain accecible at the same time.

Also, while many have written about Freud, Wittgenstein, Schiele etc., Johnston talkes about the lesser known figures of the era. That is this book's niche.

Johnston's book may not have everything that you ever wanted to know about the intellectual and cultural life of Austria-Hungary under the Hapsburgs, but if ever a single volume came close to having everything, then this is it. It has discussions of not only the "usual suspects" like Mach, Freud, Wittgenstein, but it also provides coverage of important figures in economics (i.e. Carl Menger, Schumpeter, Hayek), jurisprudence (i.e. Hans Kelsen, Karl Renner, Anton Menger), men of letters (i.e. Musil), philosophers (i.e. Schlick, Neurath, Lukacs, Buber, Ebner), music (i.e. Mahler, Schonberg), and many, many other important people. Johnston's book also covers other less well known but important figures too. For example, he covers Hans Gross, a pioneer in the development of scientific police detection.

Anyone who has already read such books as Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmins' *Wittgenstein's Vienna*, Malachi Hacohen's *Karl Popper: The Formative Years 1902-1945* or even, Edmonds & Eidinows'*Wittgenstein's Poker*, will appreciate this fascinating and well written book.

This book is worth every cent, an amazingly well written and concise history of the culture, from all angles. I can't recommend it highly enough.

For anyone interested in the artistic, philosophical and psychological impact of Viennese culture, this is a must. Freud, Wittgenstein, Schiele, etc. Prof. of History at U. Mass., Amherst, Johnston writes clearly and with enthusiasm. See also his illustrated _Vienna, Vienna_.