The Register

by Norbert Gstrein, Lowell A. Bangerter (Translator)

This novel describes from varying perspectives the lives of two Austrian brothers. Moritz and Vinzenz, who meet again after a long estrangement. They remember shared and individual experiences, prompted by questions from their sister, photographs in family albums, and encounters with current reality during a visit to their home town. The memories that form most of the novel's substance highlight the fundamental problems of their development and the reasons for their successes and failures in sibling rivalries, conflicts between them and their father; inability and unwillingness to identify with their Austrian heritage; missed opportunities, breakdowns in communication, failed relationships with other people; guilt incurred through betrayal of their girlfriend Magda and each other.

265 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Nach einem Studium der Mathematik an der Universität Innsbruck hielt Gstrein sich 1986/87 für sieben Monate zu weiteren Studien an der Stanford University und 1987/88 für fünf Monate an der Universität Erlangen auf. 1988 schloss er seine Dissertation Zur Logik der Fragen ab, die an der Universität Innsbruck von dem Mathematiker Roman Liedl und dem Philosophen Gerhard Frey betreut wurde.

Er erhielt unter anderem den Alfred-Döblin-Preis, den Literaturpreis der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, den Uwe-Johnson-Preis, den Österreichischen Buchpreis 2019, den Düsseldorfer Literaturpreis und den Thomas-Mann-Preis.

Der Roman Der zweite Jakob (2021) war für den Deutschen Buchpreis nominiert.

Norbert Gstrein lebt zur Zeit in Hamburg.