Vienna: A Cultural and Literary History

by Nicholas T. Parsons

From border garrison of the Roman Empire to magnificent Baroque seat of the Habsburgs, Vienna s fortunes swung between survival and expansion. By the late nineteenth century it had become the western capital of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, but the twentieth century saw it degraded to a hydrocephalus cut off from its former economic hinterland. After the inglorious Nazi interlude, Vienna escaped from four-power-occupation in 1955 and began the long climb back to the prosperous and cultivated city of 1.7 million inhabitants that it is today. Even as a metropolis, Vienna always retained a sense of intimacy, and sometimes of intellectual and spiritual claustrophobia. This village has been a crucible of creativity from the glittering arts and music of Habsburg and noble patronage to the libidinous hothouse of Freud s fin-de-siècle society, with all its brilliance and ambivalence. Subjected to constant infusions of new blood from the Empire, and now from the former imperial territories and beyond, Vienna has both assimilated and resisted cultural influences from outside, creating its own sui generis culture. DUCAL AND IMPERIAL Magnet for genius in architecture, the fine arts, music, literature, as well as administration. Viennese by choice a notion that includes Walther von der Vogelweide, Metastasio, Salieri, Gluck, Mozart, Beethoven, Van Swieten, Metternich, Theodor Herzl and Karl Kraus to name but a few. CITY OF a civilization submerged in waves of migrating tribes, a buffer town between the German Emperor`s territories and rival Slavs or Magyars; finally the bulwark of Christianity in resistance to Ottoman expansion over three centuries up to 1683. And in the Cold War, a neutral space for spies and diplomats between competing power blocs. CITY OF PAST AND Loden coats and laptops, progressive politics and reactionary piety, ancient rituals (slow food in the Heurigen and Beisln, Sunday walks in the Wienerwald or Schönbrunn Park) and modern rhythms in lifestyle and work.

Genres: History, Cities

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 1997

Reviews

[John Scothern · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book to introduce me to Vienna, it's history and peoples.
The sort of book I like, where I can dip in and out on a daily basis without loosing time re-reading previous pages.
I particularly like the author's style - conveying detailed, well researched insight without becoming too academic or self-important.
Plenty of ideas collected for our visit later this year! :)

[Jurgen Maerschand · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author knows his subject, for sure, but als0 wants to show the same which is never a good premise for smooth reading - as the book rather jumps erratically from one fact to another. Probably better as a valuable source to look up specific topics or places in than to read in one flow.

[Eric W · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn’t finish. I found the author’s writing style to be pretentious and off-putting. I was looking for a quick introduction to the history of Vienna for an upcoming trip, but I’ll have to look elsewhere.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why can't someone pay me to just say things about cities after watching some operas and reading some books?

[Katherine Baber · Rating 2 out of 5]

More a collection of feulleiton than a book. Some essays are useful and some recapitulate material more thoroughly addressed elsewhere. The lists of associated sights in Vienna at the end of each chapter in part 3 (the chronological history of the city) are a bonus.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book offering a very personal and extremely erudite overview of Vienna; its architecture, its music, its theatre, its politics, and its history.