Panic: A Novel: Translated by Edward T. Larkin and Thomas B. Ahrens

by Michael Amon, Thomas Ahrens (Translator), Michael Amon

Panikroman (2014) is a stream-of-consciousness account of the debilitating impact of a panic attack on an unsuspecting but narcissistic stockbroker in contemporary Vienna. The satirical novel calls into question whether he (and modern life) are really as “kerngesund” (perfectly healthy) as he maintains. The development of the anonymous character is framed by the lyrics of the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.” The mysterious illness of this “man of wealth and taste” forces him to seek professional help, ultimately in the form of shock therapy administered by an ancient Nazi neurologist. Very funny! Apart from presenting a relatively realistic account of the symptoms and impact of a panic attack, Amon connects this stockbroker and his practices to the “devilish” work of the financial existing only in the stockbroker’s head, the market is rigged in favor of the investment banks, causing investors untold suffering. But the illness brought on by the panic attacks finally precipitates reflection, however haphazard, on Austria’s troubled past, on questions of theology, on death, even on the nature of capitalism. It appears that the panic attacks might only be a symptom. Something is wrong, but what? Could it be that the protagonist suffers from unrealized authenticity? Resigned and despondent, he is torn between “redemptive hope” and “a euphoric demise.” He develops a plan to redress the immorality (his own included) of everyday reality. But does he succeed? Or is he in the end one of “the beautiful losers” of Bob Seeger’s song? Can one develop some “sympathy” for this entrapped, devilish narcissist?

133 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 16, 2023