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Karl Kraus: Apocalyptic Satirist: Culture and Catastrophe in Habsburg Vienna
A fascinating study of the life and work of Karl Kraus, the Austrian satirist whose critiques of the mass media, the military-industrial complex, and technology running out of control have earned him a following fifty years after his death. Drawing on unfamiliar sources, Edward Timms analyzes Kraus's involvement in fundamental ideological issues of his time, such as psychoanalysis, social morality, design and architecture, the role of the artist, Zionism, anti-semitism, and war, and shows that Kraus' political position―caught between traditional Habsburg loyalties and new democratic commitments―was far more complex than has previously been suspected. "Dr. Timms' book is a major landmark in Kraus' studies, and an important contribution to our understanding of the culture of the early 20th century. It abounds in discoveries and insights."―W.E. Yeats, Times Literary Supplement "Timm's lucid prose, his masterly organization of the voluminous material he treats, his excellent translations of the documents he cites and his broad, readable portrayal of Viennese fin-de-siecle culture make this study accessible to the average reader and a pleasure for the literary professional. . . . An example of German studies at its best."―James Knowlton, European Studies Journal "Timms successfully weaves a colorful, and thoroughly researched and documented, account of essential cultural currents in Habsburg Vienna around his central figure. Copious illustrations and photographs enhance a most enjoyable text, making this an ideal introduction to Kraus and his work."― Choice
460 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 30, 2018
It is books like this that have led me too cut back on my annual total (I am embarking on a recent biography of Brecht next and have two more biographies in line, of Weber and Habermas). This was long, using somewhat small print, and sprinkled with references to Die Fackel and untranslated German, this latter all too frequently leaving me in the lurch, much to my chagrin.
Still, it is a book well worth the effort as it reveals much about Kraus that should be known, fitting him into an intellectual circle that includes Walter Benjamin, Brecht, philosophers of language such as Wittgenstein and among prescient political commentators like Joseph Roth. The book, whether it intends to do so or not, also gives very good reason for Thomas Bernhard's loathing for Austrian elites and their awards, knowing they were not Nazism's "first victims" in the Anschluss but willing joiners. The scathing depiction of the antisemitic Roman Catholic Church and the feeble socialist parties would make any contemporary US citizen's skin crawl as Kraus's attacks on the missteps and attitudes of these and other groups and individuals reveal behaviors the tendencies to which the US of A is leaning. Reading this book is akin to watching the slow shedding of a civilized skin uncover the barbarian flesh beneath.
While Kraus was a trenchant commentator on and satirist of the movement toward fascism, his 1934 analysis Dritte Walpurgisnacht was not published until after the war. Timms spends the latter pages of his book going through the contents, making it clear to me at least that, if it had been published then, Kraus would not have lived until 1936, nor would anyone who might have published it. The work categorically grasped what was afoot and the way it would develop. For the second time in a mere forty years, Austria and its big brother Germany would be catastrophically defeated, led to their doom by allegiance to Der Fuhrer rather than the Kaiser. The aftermath is captured in a brief epilogue.
This was not an easy read, but worthwhile; I am glad to have completed it and think I understand the collapse of Europe in the post-WWI era much better. And have a much greater fear of what is presently unfolding in the West.
Still, it is a book well worth the effort as it reveals much about Kraus that should be known, fitting him into an intellectual circle that includes Walter Benjamin, Brecht, philosophers of language such as Wittgenstein and among prescient political commentators like Joseph Roth. The book, whether it intends to do so or not, also gives very good reason for Thomas Bernhard's loathing for Austrian elites and their awards, knowing they were not Nazism's "first victims" in the Anschluss but willing joiners. The scathing depiction of the antisemitic Roman Catholic Church and the feeble socialist parties would make any contemporary US citizen's skin crawl as Kraus's attacks on the missteps and attitudes of these and other groups and individuals reveal behaviors the tendencies to which the US of A is leaning. Reading this book is akin to watching the slow shedding of a civilized skin uncover the barbarian flesh beneath.
While Kraus was a trenchant commentator on and satirist of the movement toward fascism, his 1934 analysis Dritte Walpurgisnacht was not published until after the war. Timms spends the latter pages of his book going through the contents, making it clear to me at least that, if it had been published then, Kraus would not have lived until 1936, nor would anyone who might have published it. The work categorically grasped what was afoot and the way it would develop. For the second time in a mere forty years, Austria and its big brother Germany would be catastrophically defeated, led to their doom by allegiance to Der Fuhrer rather than the Kaiser. The aftermath is captured in a brief epilogue.
This was not an easy read, but worthwhile; I am glad to have completed it and think I understand the collapse of Europe in the post-WWI era much better. And have a much greater fear of what is presently unfolding in the West.
July 23, 2014
Karl Kraus is something of a phenomenon. You either love him or hate him. Personally I find his use of language exciting and his thoughts compelling. This book attempts to set his development as a journalist and satirist against the events of the decline and fall of the Hapsburg Empire. It concludes with a useful elucidation of Die letzen Tage der Menscheit and the development of Kraus' views as the war progressed.
May 30, 2011
Magisterial indeed, if a bit overwhelming.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews