Austria Books

This book was written in 1967 and extolls the virtue of the Serbian people and the murderous ways of the Austrians. In 2007, we know a little more. Their were elements in the Serbian government that plotted to kill the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne. The Austrians were benovolent despots, unlike the other empires or the Yugoslav kingdon. One third of the Bosnia may have wanted the Serbs as rulers, but the other 2/3s didn't particularly care for the Serbian kingdon. Feuerlicht eulogizes the Serbs at the expense of the Austrians. A more proper summary without the Serbian myth making would be adviseable with today's knowledge.

This is not a good perspective on the act that caused World War I. The author of the tihis book paints a glowing picture of Serbia. A more even analogy is necessary.

"The Desperate Act:..." by Roberta Strauss Feuerlicht, McGraw-Hill, NY 1968, LCCN 68-17505 (HC) 172 pgs. 5 1/2" x 8 1/4" 4 pg. Index, 4 pg. Biblio., 16 B/W photos & 2 maps: Balkans in 1914 & Slavic provinces of Austro-Hungarian empire.

The journalist, an author of 8 books, visited Yugoslavia several times. Her book, unlike "The Secret of Sarajevo", paints an ignoble picture of Archduke Franz Ferdinand & details the youths & student renegades who schemed, plotted & then assassinated Archduke Frans & his wife Countess Sophie June 28, 1914. The 6 conspirators, all captured, were brought to trial & sentenced. When written 2 remained alive & one (Cvetko Popovic) agreed to be interviewed. Youthfulness of the conspirators was surpizing. A long-standing hatred of Bosnians for the Austro-Hungarian empire dates to June 28, of 1389 (feast day of St. Vitus-Vivovdan) when Turks and Serbians engaged in mutual carnage. This [...] was used as excuse for Austria to declare war on Serbia & thusly led to WW-1 with England joining after Germany invaded Belgium, etc., etc.

A lot of political science permeates the book & gives better understanding of grievances & which protective allies formed. Propagandists used rumor, gossip & lies effectively as potent warring ingredients. An interesting read. The prose at times is awkward.

When I first read this book shortly after it was written in 1967 I thought that it was an inspiring and uplifting story of noble ideals versus cruel and unjust reality. I also thought that it was "history" and about the past. "Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now" as Bob Dylan put it. Now I see why Gavrilo Princip wrote "Today everything is as it was yesterday and will be so tomorrow."

Certain passages reverberate with irony "During the crisis that followed the annexation of Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1908, Austria became more determined than ever to go to war with Serbia. To justify the planned attack, 53 Serbs in Croatia were accused of conspiring with Serbia against the monarchy. They were tried for treason at Zagreb and 31 of them were found guilty. It was the first sham political trial of the century, for the documents used by the Austrian government to prove it's case were forged. This was so obvious that Franz Josef was forced to pardon the defendants." Forged documents were also used to foment war against Serbia. Similar accusations are made today.

"During the winter of 1913-1914, Austria twice tried to pick quarrels with Serbia, but Serbia refused to swallow the bait. She was so eager to avoid war that in 1909 and 1910 she offered to submit her disputes with Austria to the International Court at the Hague. Austria refused." There is a sense of deja vu with say the Rambouillet agreement.

As well as the role of the west Europeans in the Balkans the book considers Turkey's role. "After the revolution of 1908, Turkey was led by a group of Young Turks who promised reform and freedom, but who proved to be little better than the old Turks. Their rule began with the massacre of 30,000 Christians, and then they set out to restore order in Macedonia using torture, murder, pillage, and persecution."

A particularly ironic line in the book is "But the Austrians' tragedy, in matters large and small, was that they never could understand how much they were hated by the people they ruled."

This account of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo leaves one as fearful of big powers and their belicose claims as of fanatical conspirators and theirs'. Our grandfathers and great grandfathers paid the price of those claims - lets hope we and our children do not have to.

The author is clearly a fan of Korngold but this book does little justice to its subject. The problem is that the book is a simple linear account of the composer's life. Korngold did indeed have a truely remarkable life, a genuine child prodigy, forced out of Austria by the Nazis threat, settling in Hollywood and winning Oscars are but a few highlights. However, even the sense of wonderment that his youthful achievements must have engenedered are not communicated.

A good acid test for any biography of an artist is that it should encourage the reader to further investigate the artist's work further. The author's lack of empathy for the composer's music and the remarkable time through which he lived is such that the book fails to enthuse. A great disapointment.

Jessica's bio of EWK (as we affectionately abbreviate him) was for me a wonderful glint into a life which was heretofore hidden. Those in the know were anticipating Brendan Carroll's "definitive" biography. Jessica's book gave us an overdue insight into the life of this genius in the absence of anything else. Now, it seems that we have an embarassement of riches, with Carroll's exhaustive bio and the ongoing recording revival. All of this should not obscure Duchen's acheivement in bringing to life a man who was for most an elusive character. Duchen's prose is mellifluous, and has a touch of humour(see when she writes of Korngold's love of sweets). The timing of this book's appearance may have been a bit off, but it will still hold its place. There is some inevitable repetition between the Duchen and Carroll books, no doubt having consulted the same sources. Yet each book has an individual character. There can never be too much written about one of the most misunderstood composers of our world. Duchen deserves kudos for bringing out the first ever English language book on Korngold. Her acheivement serves as an economical and invaluable alternative to Carroll's lengthier, more in-depth, and required opus.

Erich Wolfgang Korngold is a composer who for far too long was known only to film buffs and a few aficionados here and there. His centenary in 1996 brought with it a tremendous rush of reappraisal, recordings and performances, all of which have helped to re-establish Korngold as a force to be reckoned with. I certainly found this book inspired me to explore works that I did not already know and much enriched my view of those I did know, especially the intensely powerful opera 'Die tote Stadt'. My opinion is that this writer has a tremendous empathy for Korngold, his music and the eras through which he lived - fin-de-siecle Vienna, 1940s Hollywood and the devastated, artistically rigid post-war Europe of the 1950s. Furthermore, she is able to bring him to life with a delightfully light touch, looking at not only his complicated and crucially influential relationship with his father but also his famously sharp wit and his love of good food - especially chocolate! While the book is evidently shorter and less detailed than Brendan Carroll's tour de force 'The Last Prodigy', it provides a superb introduction to this endearing composer and his warm, open-hearted music. What's more, it kept me reading, from cover to cover - on the beach!

This is a very interesting book about a very specific subject; almost no one so far had created a publication about these mighty FLAK towers, forgotten to all but those who sheltered and fought in them. The pictures are generally good and almost never seen before, and the text is informative and pleasant. This is a very useful book about a little known subject, a must for all those who studied the bombing offensive over the III Reich.

This book provides a fair explanation of the background, use, and effectiveness of what came to be known as the Flak Towers used by the Germans in World War II.

The Flak Towers were massive structures up to 12 stories high built of reinforced concrete whose exterior walls and roofs were up to 10 feet thick. They were designed and built in response to the Allied bombing of Berlin in August 1940. Flak Towers were only built in or around three cities: Berlin, Hamburg, and Vienna. A total of 16 Flak Towers were built. Three sets (6 total) in Berlin, three in Vienna, and two in Hamburg.

The Flak Towers always came in pairs. Although both towers in each pair usually contained a multitude of Flak guns from 20mm to 128mm, one tower (always the taller and larger of the two) was commonly known as the gun tower on which four 128mm Flak cannons were placed on the roof. The second tower of each pair was commonly known as the radio or command tower. The primary function of the command tower was to scout oncoming Allied planes and notify the gun tower of sightlines on the planes. Alhtough not clearly explained in this book, it appears the necessity of a separate radio tower was due to the massive shock waves created by the simultaneous firing of multitudinous 128mm Flak cannon in the gun tower which either interfered with the radio waves themselves used by the radio tower to locate enemy planes or with the ability of personnel to use the radio equipment.

Each pair of towers was also self-contained, with, e.g., their own power and water supply. The towers were used for a multitude of purposes other than defense. For example, each set of towers appears to have had its own hospital. In addition, several sets of towers had specific floors set aside for the storage and preservation of art treasures from German musuems in Berlin and Vienna. Most commonly, the towers served as a refuge for civilians during Allied bombing runs. (Estimates of civilians holed up in a single one of these structures at the end of the war run from 20,000 to 40,000 and it is generally accepted that 20,000 is not an unlikely number.)

The Flak Towers were considered to be both impregnable and indestructible and by and large lived up to their reputation as none of the towers was ever toppled or even heavily damaged during the war despite being repeatedly hit by bombs and heavy artillery. After the war, for reasons that are unexplained, most were destroyed (but only after repeated and extensive demolition) in one fashion or another by the Allied powers in control of that sector of Germany in which they remained and then turned into rubble, which for each tower was a monumental task in itself.

This book is the only one of its kind that I could find in English. For that reason it deserves special merit. Unfortunately, the book suffers in several respects. First, the book was originally written in German and the translation often suffers in clarity (although whether this is due to the original text or the translation is unclear). Second, the text of the book is too choppy as subjects do not appear to be treated comprehensively or in an organized fashion. Third, the book contains a few anecdotes about the Flak Towers (e.g., (1) Hitler's famous call, "Where is Wenck?", originated from the Zoo Flak Tower in Berlin, which contained the last working radio communcations control center in the city in April 1945; (2) although it was claimed dozens of "old master" works from Vienna museums were destroyed by fire in one of the Vienna Flak Towers at the end of the war, many of these works nonetheless appeared on the art market over the years; and (3) apparently German spectators at the site of one of the many attempts to demolish one of the Flak Towers after the war proudly cheered "German made! German made!" when the tower refused to fall) but does not contain any stories per se by Flak Tower survivors (i.e., those that worked, fought, or sought refuge in them). Fourth, much of the information provided is incomplete or contradictory so that the book only provides a very basic or general review of these structures.

That being said (and the author does acknowledge that information on the Flak Towers is woefully incomplete), the book is a fascinating look at this aspect of German defenses in World War II, particularly as it relates to the last days of WWII in Berlin when the Zoo Flak Tower was such a focal point for civilians and soldiers alike but is not likely to be of much interest to anyone other than serious students of the history of German defenses during World War II. (The book includes pictures of actual scale models used in designing the Flak Towers as well as photos of the towers during construction, in use, and after the war, including demolitions.)

You will find numerous pictures of Nazi flak towers during the period mentioned in the book's title, but I felt that wartime anecdotes from TurmFlak crews, as well as more technical data, would have enhanced this work. Still, it is a good presentation of defensive works that often go overlooked in World War 2 history.

This book is filled with the authors own childhood memories of growing up in Vienna/AUSTRIA during WWII
It is the first of two books with this topic.(Maikaefer flieg and Zwei Wochen im Mai) Noestlinger gives an honest, often funny, and moving account of one girl growing up in times of war.

This book is so stupid! It keeps changing from one subject to another. NONE of the book makes sence. Probley because its told from a russian point of view. The book is set at the end of world war II, which is when all the russians stared to live in the german people's home. All the girl does in the book is wine about the russians. Do not read this book!

This is an amazing coming of age book about a girl growing up in occupied Germany at the end of WW2. Incredibly moving, this book is a great read for anyone who is-or has ever been-a kid.

Leider ist das Buch bereits veraltet.Finde interessant, dass sich die Leute für so was interessieren.
Manche amerikanische Leser sollten sich damit abfinden, dass der zweite Weltkrieg zu Ende ist. Haider wird in Österreich auch nicht ernst genommen und seine Partei ist bereits in 2 Parteien zerfallen.
Man kann ihn nur als Politkasperl akzeptieren.
Seit langem ist Österreich kein kriegsführendes Land mehr, im Gegensatz zu den USA. In Wien sind wir sozialistisch regiert und stolz drauf. Freundschaft !!!

This excellent and judicious book opens with the celebrations in 1980 of the 25th anniversary of the State Treaty which had given Austria her independence in 1955. In 1980 the prestige of Austria was at its height. Economically she was remarkably successful; the electorate had rejected communism and embraced western-style democracy; Austria's consensus-based political system was very stable. Above all, in international affairs she followed a policy of "active neutrality": although committed to western values, she had good relations with both the Eastern and the Western bloc, and especially under Bruno Kreisky (foreign minister from 1959 to 1970 and Chancellor from 1970 to 1983), played a mediating role between them and hosted many an East-West conference. Kreisky tried to play a mediating role in the Middle East also, being in 1974 the first western statesman to engage in public discussion with the PLO.

His small country had offered asylum to 180,000 Hungarian refugees in 1956 and to 96,000 Czechs after the collapse of the Prague Spring in 1968. When the Soviet bloc began to allow Jewish emigration to Israel, Austria provided transit facilities for 270,000 Jews; and she did all this without seriously endangering her relationships with the Soviet Union. Kurt Waldheim, a former Austrian foreign minister, had been chosen by East and West alike to be Secretary General of the United Nations: his war-time career had, amazingly, not then been investigated. And the fact that the Jewish Kreisky had been elected Chancellor seemed to acquit Austria of continuing anti-Semitism.

However, many Jewish refugees had rejected invitations to attend the celebrations of 1980; and inside Austria Simon Wiesenthal tried to make the country face up to the guilt it had shared with the Nazis. But in 1980 his was a lonely voice. In 1943 the Allies had recognized the Austrians as Hitler's first victim rather than as his eager collaborators; and this helped the Austrians to present themselves in that light also. So when Jewish organizations began to press for compensation, Austrian governments told them that these demands should be addressed to the successor government in Germany. In 1961 they set up a risibly small fund of just 6 million dollars to pay pensions to some 4,000 Jews.

Austrian democratic governments aimed for consensus even with ex-Nazis. Four members of Kreisky's Cabinet had belonged to the Nazi Party, one of them even to the Waffen-SS. Kreisky had friendly relations with the right-wing Austrian Freedom Party, home for many ex-Nazis. He bitterly resented the agitation of Simon Wiesenthal for trying to disturb this complacent attitude towards the past.

But eventually Wiesenthal gained a wider hearing in the world outside Austria, and the rosy picture of the 1980 celebrations began to be tarnished. In 1983 Kreisky's Socialist Party lost its overall majority; Kreisky retired; and his successor, Fred Sinowatz, actually made a coalition with the Freedom Party. In 1985 his Defence Minister welcomed home with a handshake the former SS-Major Walter Rede, a convicted Nazi war-criminal who, at the behest of both Kreisky's and Sinowatz's governments had been released by the Italians from serving the life-sentence to which he had been sentenced. This created a major storm both inside and outside Austria; but a rising member of the Freedom Party, Jörg Haider, defended Rede as a soldier who had only done his duty.

And then Kurt Waldheim, at the end of his term at the United Nations, became a candidate for the Presidency of Austria. It was only now that rumours surfaced about his Nazi past and presence in Yugoslavia while members of his unit carried out massacres there. During his six-year presidency not only was he himself treated as a pariah by Western governments, but his image rubbed off on the Austrian nation: the world was now alerted to the fact that Austrian politicians had never confronted the past.

Austrians, for their part, initially dug in their heels in bitter resentment. Waldheim's term ended in 1992, but in every election Jörg Haider, now leader of the Freedom Party, gained more votes. As he had praised Hitler's employment policies, inherited property that had been confiscated from Jews, and opposed immigration of foreigners, his rise caused great unease and did further damage to the image of Austria in the rest of the world.

On the other hand, now that the question of Austria's past had been so sharply raised and her standing in the world so besmirched, other Austrians woke up to their responsibilities. When Haider became leader of the Freedom Party in 1986, Chancellor Franz Vranitsky ended his alliance with it and went back into coalition with the Conservatives. A determined effort was now made to confront the past: in 1991 Vranitsky publicly admitted the guilt of many Austrians and apologized for it in the name of the whole nation. Real efforts were now made in the areas of education, memorials, commemorative events, and reparations.

But in the 1999 elections in Austria, Haider's party , with 27% of the vote, came second and held the balance of power between the Socialists (the largest party) and the Conservatives. These two parties had been in coalition continuously since 1986; but that coalition now broke up, and the Conservatives brought the Freedom Party (though not Haider himself) into the government. It seemed that many Austrian were prepared once more to risk their country's good name in the rest of the world, and indeed there was a temporary boycott of bilateral relations between the individual governments of the European Community and the Austrian government. Haider, from outside the Cabinet, tried to force extreme policies on his ministers; but that split his party. The Haiderites resigned; the coalition came to an end; and in the elections of 2002 the Freedom Party's vote dropped from 27% to 10.2%. Has the ghost of Austria's ambivalence towards the past at last been laid to rest?

last year while studying at the IES Vienna program, I was confronted with the new elections and creation of government in Austria. The man at the center of all this attention was Jorg Haider, then the leader of the of the FPO. Hell Pick's book "Guilty Victim" effectively presents the background to the Austria as a paradox in association to Anschluss and WWII. On one ahnd there is the national lie that Austria was the first victim of the Third Reich. This reinforces Austrian indentity in modern Europe. The other side is that Austria bears responsibility for participating in the actions of the third Reich. Austria suffers the dilemma of reconciling with its guilt from the past, so that it may enter into accord with the other nations of the EU. This book is best sumed by her words qouted "Those who choose to forget history are condemned to live through the same again. Those who do not want to know precisely what took place will never be able to learn the lessons of history... We have a duty to understand the past - and as far as possible, to accept wrong-doing and make amends." Pick's purpose in this book is to reconcile with the actions of the nation that she was born into. This book represents a contemporary approach to modern European history in the hopes that lessons will be learned in rder to prevent disasters and distructions of the past. The EU provides potential in the continent reconciling with their actions during the second world war. I believe this book is best for those interested in contemporary Austrian or modern European history. Austria is no longer a nation confused about its national identity but is confronted by the new dominant force in Europe, the EU. Only time will determine the fate of Austria in a larger Europe.

This is the finest single-volume history of Hungary in the English language. Highly recommended work, by one of the most incisive historians of central and south-eastern Europe around.

As a 1st generation Hungarian American, I wanted to learn more about my history. This book gave me an excellent in depth overview of the tumultuous history of this often overlooked nation.

This book, written during the communist era, mostly by people in high positions in that regime and their American fellow travelers, reflects that perspective. It is multicultural and politically correct.

Just one example of their sinister multicultural views. They talk about the six NATIONS that make up Hungary and complain about "Hungarian ambitions of hegemony," ignoring the history of how these minorities were allowed to settle in the country.

A great disappointment!

A short while back my wife and I treated ourselves to ten days in Vienna. We chose as our guide the Knopf Guide to Vienna. We found the guide to be complete and accurate in every way. We roamed the streets of Vienna with total confidence because of this publication. The guide's maps were accurate and incredibly easy to follow. The history of the city was most informative and afforded wonderful information for the self-guided tourist. We are planning another trip abroad and will again use one of the Knopf guides. I have used other guides in the past but find the Knopf guide to be far and above those other publications.

This is perhaps the worst-arranged guidebook I've encountered. It skips baseline information in preference for beautiful illustrations. There are many nuggets of information about the city's history and culture - including 11 pages on its birds and squirrels - but you're left not knowing that the city is divided into numbered districts, that you have to get your subway tickets time-stamped, and how to tip. Impractical, frustrating and not worth the room in your suitcase.

I am a frequent visitor to Vienna. While I'm there, I
use a guidebook that focuses on food and drink, a city
map and one of the weekly papers (Der Falter). But when
I return, I enjoy the rumination and reminiscence of
this book.
I'm particularly pleased that it incorporates information
about the natural setting of the city and I find the cultural
information to be useful if brief. A great book for reminiscence.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN 9781601640005

Good recommendations for inexpensive places to stay as well as places to dine and purchase groceries. Unique to the degree of outstanding in its recommendations of public laundromats which any fellow long term travelers out there know are worth their weight in gold since, for only heaven knows why, the Europeans suffer from a dearth of these locales. Does anyone know where the Europeans wash their clothes? It expresses its descriptions of places to see and things to do with a tongue in cheek attitude which I feel unfortunately borders on condescencion and distracts from an otherwise extremely useful travel guide.

The new Let's Go Austria & Switzerland book was pretty useful in leading me through my first travels into the two countries. I had picked it up because I had flipped through their Boston city guide and found that it was pretty good coverage, so I figured anything in the series wouldn't be too bad. Information was accurate and helpful, the writing was witty and concise, and it showed me some amazing places to see that I wouldn't have gone to if it weren't for their recommendations. Though i'm sure for a veteran travel, the book may lack depth, as the previous reviewer wrote (what can you expect w/ coverage of two countries in one book?), but I found it pretty good overall for a newbie like me. I figure if i ever go back, I probably wouldn't depend on the book so much and wander more. I'd definitely plan on using let's go again in the future, though one thing I did wish for was coverage of more places. Guess you can only fit so much in a book you can carry in comfortably in your backpack.

I've been a budget traveler in Europe for 20 years, and have always relied on the "Let's Go" books to take me not only to the well-known spots cheaply, but point out some places I might not otherwise have seen. This edition of Let's Go made me wish I hadn't left my '00 edition in the train station when I left. It devotes a miniscule # of pages to Switzerland, and lists almost no side trips or off the beaten path sites. The restaurant and accomodations reviews seem likely accurate but superficial, and the numbers of places reviewed has dropped by about 50% in my estimate. Also missing are several former great spots, like La Chaux de Fonds, and its watch museum(probably the most interesting and well-set up museum in Switz), and the Museum of Art and History in Geneva itself. I'd recommend "The Rough Guide to Switz" instead. It has the kind of detail that the older editions had, especially if you want to see the real Switzerland.

Poor Schubert! The Viennese-born composer was little appreciated in his day, even by the circle of close friends who periodically sponsored programs of his songs and chamber music. Despite the fact that several of his friends were writers, none seem to have thought to record their memories of the composer until decades later. After his death at age 31, the composer was turned into a Romantic symbol, a sentimentalized ideal of the tragic genius who's life was cut short, etc. In more recent times, Schubert has been the subject of intense scholarly debates about issues like gender, which also want to idealize the composer (as gay icon). Christopher Gibbs acknowledges all these issues and provides a clearly written and frequently insightful study of the composer's life, without taking sides in any of the academic debates that have consistently misinterpreted his significance. For example, Gibbs notes that 19th century writers often said (selfishly) "Alas, we have been denied more glorious examples of Schubert's work." Instead, Gibbs suggests that the real loss was that Schubert died just before he gained the popularity his music deserved, and before he had the chance to clearly distinguish between mature works and juvenalia. You will gain a sense of Schubert as a real flesh-and-blood artist with desires and problems (he sometimes drank too much, it seems), rather than as a romanticized image of "doomed youth." A very welcome addition to the literature!

This is an excellent and concise introductory biography of Schubert for the general reader. Gibbs debunks many of the Schubert myths that have arisen since his tragic early death, and explores Schubert's social mileu. Of primary importance in Schubert's life is his circle of male friends. In addition he tackles some of the recent research concerning the composer's possible homosexuality, and explores some of the rudimentary evidence that exists about Schubert's relationships with women. What is lacking in this book is more analysis of Schubert's oeuvre.

I'd cut this more slack if it were the only biography of Schubert ever written. Obviously it is not, so how does it distinguish itself from the others? It was more recently published, and that, I'm afraid, is it. It is always hedging, it wants desparately to offend nobody, and manages in this way to offend at least me.

In an earlier review, a reader noted, "Sengoopta believes since Weininger's father was antisemitic that it is doubtful Weininger had any Jewish idenity to start with."

I'm sure Weininger had a Jewish identity; that it was linked very early on with shame propelled him to write his awful gobbledygook. Self-hatred can be part of an identity as well, and we would all do well to remember that. If we don't know that, let's learn.

"The genius is not the product of his age, is not to be explained by it, and we do him no honour if we attempt to account for him by it." -- Otto Weininger, Sex and Character, Part II, Chap 5.

...but explain him by his age is exactly what Sengoopta tries to do for Weininger. The book helps to situate Weininger in the scientific millieu of his time, as the Harrowitz and Hyams collection (-Jews and Gender: Responses to Otto Weininger-) earlier tried to do against a literary backdrop, and though we are grateful for these efforts, both fail to come terms with the seriousness of Weininger's philosophy. They repeat many of the usual dismissive assessments, either by trying to explain him as an unpleasant social phenomenon or personal pathology. We are still waiting for a genuinely philosophical exposition of Weininger's importance to moral philosophy in general and gender-based moral theories, in particular. We strongly suspect, for example, that radical feminism will one day discover a curious allegiance with Weininger. (Janik's -Essays on Wittgenstein and Weininger- in places, however, hints in a more thoughtful direction.)

dr. sengoopta's well researched book is the strange story of otto weininger, a jew, who wrote a treatise that 'proved' women and jews did not possess a rational and moral self; that they did not deserve or need equality, not to mention liberty, that only male aryans should be in charge of society. imagine a jew that hitler called 'wise'(though it is doubtful he ever read him) a jew that was throughly discredited following world war two as a racist and misogynist. then why read him? dr. sengoopta not only gives the reasons weininger is important in the understanding of ideas current in his time, but how to read him. afterall, this strange little man influenced (though not persuaded) freud, kafka, ludwig wittgenstein, the racist politics of vienna's mayor, karl leuger as well as literary figures such as james joyce and ford maddox ford, probably his most important contribution. his dramatic suicide, in beethoven's home, no less, made him the era's 'tragic genius'.(a concept karl kraus, the jewish critic, concurred). afterall, this was the age of arthur schnitzler (THE ROAD TO THE OPEN) when jewish intellectuals were attempting to find a role in viennese culture. for weininger it was an attempt to become GERMAN (he loved wagner)-the extreme path to the open. by becoming a protestant he would not only reject multicultural austria but become more german than the most ardent pan german. his only book, SEX AND CHARACTER, was his phd dissertation-an attempt to analyze the differences between men and women by the use of biology,science, psychology and humanistic social reform. a fanatic follower of kant, weininger believed only aryan men possessed a hyperemperical soul while desiring to resolve the woman question by redefining hysteria and devaluing motherhood. in his attack on women and modernism weininger saw the jews as the symbol of mammon, modernism and the feminization of culture. weininger's ideal society was a sterile dystopia where women would lose their sexuality and deserve to be politically equal...of course the human race would die out, but in pure kantian thought this minor difficulty would not matter, for weininger believed that sexual desire-and feminine beauty is only a creation of man's love-forces man to degenerate. the only true love is plutonic in the tradition of dante's beatrice. one of the more enlightened aspects of weininger is his belief in universal bisexuality, "sexual intermediacy", that is to say, all humans are a mixture of the masculine and the feminine in differing degrees. however, the most gifted woman can only be 50% masculine, thus inferior to the most effeminate male. weininger even proposed a mathematical formula to achieve the perfect conjunction. yes,even he realized that despite his ideal society males WOULD seek out women and mate...one could only hope to achieve the most satisfactory results through science. most of weininger's thought is absurb if not discusting to modern readers. Little gems such as 'all women are amoral',"are logically insane', "men have better memories","women can not differenate between feeling and thought", that they have no soul,and on and 0n AD NAUSEAM. perhaps even more repulsive is his racist ideas. naturally he swallowed houston chamberlain, artur de gobineau, wagner and schopenhauers antisemetic drivel and adapted it to his treatise. was this self-hatred? not according to dr. sengoopta, sengoopta believes since weininger's father was antisemetic that it is doubtful weininger had any jewish idenity to start with. weak in some areas but well read in the science of his day, weininger's book is a melange of science, biology, philosophy, cultural politics and personal anxiety. ironically, despite his contempt for women in the reproduction of the species woman is supreme. even weininger recognized bachofen's dictim: "the father is always a juristic fiction, whereas motherhood is a physical fact". with all his intellectual twists and turns weininger could never explain away woman's power over life, men and creativity.