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Good Living Street: The fortunes of my Viennese family
From high society in Vienna to a small flat in Sydney; from patrons of the arts to refugees from the Holocaust; this is the enthralling story of three generations of women spanning a century of upheaval.
In 1900 Vienna was one of the most exciting places to live in the world. Its glamorous high society was the envy of Europe, and it was the center of an exploding arts movement that set the tone for the following century.
Tim Bonyhady's great-grandparents were leading patrons of the arts in fin de siecle Gustav Klimt painted his great-grandmother's portrait, and the family knew many of the city's leading cultural figures.
In Good Living Street he follows the lives of three generations of women in his family in an intimate account of fraught relationships, romance, and business highs and lows. They enjoyed a lifestyle of luxury and privilege - until everything changed for families of Jewish origin like his.
In 1938, his family fled Vienna for a small flat in a harborside suburb of Sydney, taking with them the best private collection of art and design to escape the Nazis.
In 1900 Vienna was one of the most exciting places to live in the world. Its glamorous high society was the envy of Europe, and it was the center of an exploding arts movement that set the tone for the following century.
Tim Bonyhady's great-grandparents were leading patrons of the arts in fin de siecle Gustav Klimt painted his great-grandmother's portrait, and the family knew many of the city's leading cultural figures.
In Good Living Street he follows the lives of three generations of women in his family in an intimate account of fraught relationships, romance, and business highs and lows. They enjoyed a lifestyle of luxury and privilege - until everything changed for families of Jewish origin like his.
In 1938, his family fled Vienna for a small flat in a harborside suburb of Sydney, taking with them the best private collection of art and design to escape the Nazis.
468 pages, Paperback
Published August 27, 2014
7 people want to read
About the author
Tim Bonyhady
19 books2 followersTim Bonyhady is Senior Fellow, Urban Research Programme, Australian National University.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 18, 2023
Bonyhady is an excellent writer, historian, cultural historian with a fascinating background. I am prejudiced as it is likely that my ancestors, also upper middle class in Vienna at the same time as Tim's, knew each other, and may have socialized together. Having been on a roots trip with many descendants of our Viennese parents, i am deeply interested in learning more and more about this period of history in Vienna. Like the Gallias, Bonyhady's family, my family members were forced to flee to escape the Nazis and antiSemitism. Bonyhady uses the diaries and letters of his grandmother and others to describe Vienna and a Viennese family navigate the first half of the 1900's. Loved the detail about life during this period and discussions of art, literature, opera, and many of the leading figures of the time.
Probably not for everyone, but aside from the information on Vienna, it is the story of refugees in the 20th century, how they made the decision to flee and how they made the transition.
Probably not for everyone, but aside from the information on Vienna, it is the story of refugees in the 20th century, how they made the decision to flee and how they made the transition.
Displaying 1 of 1 review