The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War

by Alexander Waugh

The Wittgenstein family was one of the richest, most talented and most eccentric in European history. The domineering paternal influence of Karl Wittgenstein left his eight children fraught by inner antagonisms and nervous tension. Three of his sons committed suicide; Paul, the fourth, became a world-famous concert pianist (using only his left hand), while Ludwig, the youngest, is now regarded as one of the greatest philosophers of the twentieth century. In this dramatic historical and psychological epic, Alexander Waugh traces the triumphs and vicissitudes of a family held together by a fanatical love of music yet torn apart by money, madness, conflicts of loyalty and the cataclysmic upheaval of two world wars.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Autobiography, Music, Biography Memoir

366 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2008

About the author

Alexander Evelyn Michael Waugh (born 1963) is an English eccentric, businessman, writer, critic, journalist, composer, cartoonist, record producer and television presenter. He is best known for his biography of the Wittgenstein family (The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War) published in 2009.

He was a founding director and Chairman of Xebras Management Ltd, the now-dissolved digital media company. He has also served on the boards of Concert Agency, Manygate Management Ltd, and of the award winning Travelman Publishing Ltd. He is currently an independent Non-Executive Director of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee.

Reviews

[Jola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story about the mega-rich Wittgenstein family from the latter half of the 19’th century up until the end around 1960. A wealth of interesting and amazing stories about a family of eccentrics that included Ludwig the philosopher and Paul, a famous one-handed concert pianist.

There are also some interesting bits about Austrian history. E.g. in the years before the Nazi occupation, there was a strong Austrian fascist party supported by the Catholic Church. These fascists were strongly against the Nazis, in particular their ‘ridiculous beliefs on race and religion’.

[ΠανωςΚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Πριν από κάποια χρόνια, περιήλθαν στην κατοχή μου κάποια (αρκετά έως πολλά) βιβλία που υπό κανονικές συνθήκες δεν θα τα διάλεγα να τα διαβάσω. Ένα απ' αυτά, τούτο εδώ. Τώρα, τι δουλειά έχω εγώ να διαβάζω για τους Βιτγκενστάιν, τρέχα γύρευε. Είχα τη (μάταιη, όπως αποδείχθηκε) ελπίδα ότι θα διαβάσω κάτι που, πέρα από τον βίο μιας οικογένειας, θα μού μετέδιδε και το κοινωνικό κλίμα της εποχής. Μπαααα. Το βιβλίο κινείται στα όρια του κουλτουριάρικου (εμπεριστατωμένου ωστόσο) κιτρινισμού και τείνει να δίνει ιδιαίτερη σημασία στα χαρακτηριστικά των ανθρώπων με μιαν εμμονή στις «γαμψές μύτες» καθώς και σε γυναίκες «αλογομούρες». Αποφάσισα ότι δεν μου κάνει, όταν, αναφερόμενος στη δωρεά που έκανε εις εκ των Βιτγκενστάιν σε κάποιους καλλιτέχνες της εποχής, τους οποίους και κατονόμαζε, ο συγγραφέας επέλεξε στην αμέσως επόμενη πρόταση να σχολιάσει κάτι του στιλ "απ' αυτούς, ο τάδε την αμέσως επόμενη χρονιά πέθανε από υπερβολική δόση».
Εσπρέσσο (εφημερίδα) για κουλτουριάρηδες;

ΥΓ. Συνειδητοποιώ ότι το μόνο που κατάφερε αυτό το βιβλίο είναι να ενισχύσει την (παράλογη έως και επικίνδυνη) αντιπάθεια που, δυστυχώς, έχω για τους κεντροευρωπαίους αστούς.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've said before that group biographies are difficult to do well. In this biography of the Wittgenstein family, Waugh really isn't doing a group biography, in my opinion. His focus is clearly on the two most famous Wittgensteins--Paul, the musician and Ludwig, the philosopher. He certainly includes the rest of the family--parents and children--as much as any individual's biography rightfully includes family background--but they are not his focus. This is not a criticism. The book is very readable and gives a good sense of the times. I found Waugh's discussion of the family's negotiations with the Nazis (over their money--which the Nazis wanted and over their "Jewish" standing--were they full blooded Jews?) fascinating. You can feel what it would have been like in Vienna then--with the Nazis using family against each other and some "suddenly" Jewish families (who had never, like the Wittgensteins, considered themselves Jewish) trying to get themselves classified as non-Jews or at least as only "half breeds" so that they could maintain some of their civil rights. Worth reading.

[Gerbrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik kende eerlijk gezegd alleen Ludwig Wittgenstein van naam. En dat maakte het lezen van dit familieportret juist zo leuk. In totaal hadden Karl en Leopoldine Wittgenstein 9 kinderen en die komen in meer of mindere mate allemaal aanbod. Ludwig was de jongste. De focus ligt echter meer op Paul. Als pianist was hij veruit de beroemdste bij leven. Ook Ludwig komt uiteraard aan bod. Een kritiekpuntje is wel dat er over de inhoudelijke kant van Ludwigs filosofie erg weinig in dit boek staat. Afijn, daar zijn ongetwijfeld voldoende andere boeken over geschreven.

Qua tijd bestrijkt het boek vooral de eerste helft van de 20e eeuw. En dat maakt dit boek naar mijn mening zo aantrekkelijk, om de twee wereldoorlogen vanuit het perspectief van deze steenrijke Weense familie mee te maken. Heel spannend zelfs.

Altijd leuk: veel bekende namen passeren de revue. Gustav Klimt die het nu beroemde schilderij maakte van Gretl Wittgenstein. Overigens was zij er zelf niet helemaal tevreden over en schijnt zelf de contouren van de mond enigszins te hebben bijgewerkt. Thans weer in originele staat te zien in München: https://www.pinakothek.de/en/node/2342. Verder veel mensen uit de muziekwereld. Richard Strauss, Brahms en Schönberg die concerten bijwoonden bij de Wittgensteins thuis. En Britten, Ravel en Prokofjev die concerten voor Paul componeerden, tegen betaling. Aan geld geen gebrek.

Wat het heel authentiek maakt zijn de vele citaten uit dagboeken en brieven. Geschreven door Alexander Waugh, een kleinzoon van Evelyn. Heerlijk boek!

[Jorge Morcillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Apasionante. Recomendable para cualquier aficionado a esta familia o a cualquiera de las manifestaciones creativas que desarrollaron muchos de sus miembros.

El libro no esconde las luces y las sombras de tan singular clan. Personalmente acabo con mejor opinión sobre Paul (el pianista) que la que tenía antes de empezar el libro. Y es que muchos compositores vertieron muchas mentiras sobre él, ya que se permitía el lujo de modificar las partituras a su antojo.

En fin, un gran libro que retrata muy bien los acontecimientos personales junto a los sociales e históricos.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warts and all... but mostly warts

Waugh's unblinking biography of the Wittgenstein family can be strong medicine for those who (like myself) are looking for a tale of redemption or genius. Here, instead, is a family portrait of an exceedingly mismatched and strained group who happened to be related. The "at war" in the title really refers to the family's war with itself and less so the two world wars in the time period covered.

I can't claim to know much about Ludwig Wittgenstein, the best-known member of the family, though I had hoped to gain some insight into his philosophy during the course of reading this book. That was not to be, alas, and if Waugh is to be believed, there is not a great deal of coherence to Wittgenstein's philosophical output. I've read a few disgruntled reviews claiming that Waugh's understanding of Wittgenstein is flawed, however. Even so the book does raise an important question: what exactly is the attraction of this strange man? Is it him or his philosophy? Or are the two things so intertwined that the question is rendered meaningless?

My primary motivation for reading this book, however, was not to gain insight into Ludwig Wittgenstein and his brother Paul, who are the primary focus of the book. My fascination is with Vienna and in particular the astonishing blossoming of art, music, philosophy, science, and culture that took place in the city after the turn of the 20th century. Indeed, it is the discussion of this realm that I found most satisfying while reading the book.

I was also quite interested in learning more about Paul Wittgenstein, though like all the Wittgenstein portraits here, Waugh casts him in a cold and unflinching light.

But the thing that was most striking and memorable about this book to me was the tale of a family with ostensibly so much -- so much money, so many talents and gifts -- and yet so little. They tore at each others' souls, held grudges, and in some cases genuinely loathed one another. Even when they held common cause, a "cocktail of pride, honor, and obstinacy stood in the way of any reconciliation," as Waugh put it. It made me consider the misunderstandings and dissension in my own family, of course, but it also brought on a general reflection on what makes people happy or unhappy.

While I was reading this book, I was simultaneously listening to another family memoir set in Vienna during some of the same time period, The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss by Edmund de Waal. The contrast between these two books was striking, and at times I found it a bit wrenching to go from one to the other. While members of the Wittgenstein family exhibited a fierce and sometimes self-destructive individuality, de Waal's account of his family is tinged with warmth, humor, and something akin to but better than nostalgia. There was solace and support within the Ephrussi family, and they emerged from the Second World War with less money but more wealth, in a larger sense.

There is, of course, the famous quote by Tolstoy, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Waugh's analysis of the Wittgenstein family's unhappiness, its own peculiar brand of dysfunction, is difficult to look away from. But it left me with a profound feeling of unease. One contemplates this family and wonders: what chance of happiness have I?

[Verico · Rating 5 out of 5]

La vida de los Wittgenstein ya es de por sí apasionante, pero Alexander Waugh tiene verdadero talento contando historias. No obstante, se centra claramente en la figura de Paul Wittgenstein en primer lugar y en segundo lugar en Ludwig. Una intrahistoria que sirve para entender la Viena de principios de siglo XX con las dos Guerras Mundiales.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My recent doxographical inamorata The Book of Dead Philosophers relates this anecdote about Ludwig Wittgenstein: “After he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer . . . [a friend:] presented him with an electric blanket on his birthday and said, ‘Many happy returns.’ Wittgenstein replied, staring back at her, “There will be no returns.’” Not a cheery man, was Ludwig (though perhaps vindicated by his death three days later).
But he came by it honest, as I learned reading this well-researched and diverting biography of his family, written by Evelyn Waugh’s grandson Alexander. Depression certainly was a hereditary curse: three of the five sons of Karl and Leopoldine Wittgenstein committed suicide—Hans simply disappeared; Kurt, an officer in the Austrian army, shot himself at the end of the Great War; Rudi theatrically drank potassium cyanide at a cafe, after requesting his favorite song. But the Wittgensteins were also brilliant, musical, and driven. The other surviving brother, Paul, made his debut as a concert pianist in December 1913, an inauspicious time for any young European man to start a career; less than a month after war was declared, he’d lost his right arm and been captured by the Russians. He spent months being shuffled amongst Siberian prison camps, rewriting concertos—from memory—for just the left hand, tapping out the arpeggios on tables and packing crates. Astonishingly, he spent the rest of his life playing piano professionally, commissioning works for the left hand from Strauss, Prokofiev, Ravel, and Britten, among others.
The story of this idiosyncratic and unhappy clan serves as a microcosm of larger experiences. During the late 1930s, for instance, when Austria joined with Nazi Germany in Anschluss, the siblings found themselves suddenly Jewish: three sets of grandparents were born in that faith, and their later conversions meant nothing to the Reich. Ludwig was in Cambridge, and safe; sister Gretl was married to an American, thus untouchable; but Paul had had two children with an irreproachably Aryan mistress, making him guilty of “race pollution.” He fled to Switzerland and eventually Cuba, and managed to smuggle out his mistress and daughters too. Hitler’s genocidal ideology, however, was not immune to corruption, and the Wittgensteins were rich. Very rich, even after losing a great deal to runaway inflation in the decades between the wars, when consumer prices in Austria rose 14,000-fold. (Gretl’s American investments took a hit in 1929, of course, but she was still left with an income of $30,000 a year.) The Reichsbank essentially held the two sisters remaining in Vienna hostage until the others relinquished a great deal of their fortune, whereupon one of their grandfathers became the illegitimate son of German nobility, and presto! they were Mischling (half-breed), a far more advantageous social and legal status.
Ludwig famously ended his most significant work, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, with the engimatic proposition “What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence,” and I’m afraid I must echo him here: I can’t possibly tell all the stories I found in this lively history, so I’ll just end the attempt.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this lively history of the Wittgenstein family, Alexander Waugh has captured in fine detail the extraordinary events that defined the family’s life in war-time Europe. And yet, for all of his plucky reporting and colorful anecdotes, Waugh makes little progress towards illuminating the depths of the Wittgenstein’s troubled psyche.

First, of course, there were the suicides. Before age twenty-five, two of the Wittgenstein sons were dead by suicide—most theatrically, Rudi, who finished off his meal at a Berlin restaurant with a glass of cyanide-laced milk. A third son, Kurt, killed himself at fifty, and Ludwig himself often struggled with thoughts of suicide. Once a fairly tight-knit group, in adulthood, deep rifts emerged between the five surviving siblings (in order of birth: Hermine, Helene, Gretl, Paul, and Ludwig).

After Hitler’s occupation of Austria, by virtue of their distant Jewish ancestry, the Wittgensteins were declared Volljuden (full Jews). They were in the unique and humiliating position of attempting to prove that their paternal grandfather was not in fact a Jew but a bastard son of a German aristocrat. Eventually, the Wittgensteins surrendered a large portion of their fortune to the Reichsbank to purchase “half-Jewish” certification and thus a measure of safety from the Nazis. The siblings fought bitterly as the family fortune crumbled amid mounting debts.

Certainly, these were awful times for the Wittgensteins, but Waugh presents mostly the surface story, never quite uncovering (or even positing) the roots of the family’s dysfunction. And, maddeningly, the center of Waugh’s account is Paul Wittgenstein, a very reserved man who eventually fled to America, never to return again. Paul was a pianist and thus a natural choice for Waugh, who has written several books on opera and classical music. Though less a cipher than his brother Ludwig, Paul is certainly not the most dynamic subject for a biography or the best lens through which to glimpse the entire Wittgenstein clan.

[♥ Marlene♥]

Yesterday I was looking for my next read which has lately not become the easiest task. Anyway on my kindle I have so many books I decided to set it to author instead of recent so it would list other books than the ones I normally see. That is why I picked his book because it popped up. Must admit I have heard of the name Wittgenstein but did not remember who what and where, so why read this?
Well I began reading and I was immediately intrigued by this family.
Not just the family but the scene of Europe at that time. (First half of the 20th century) and not just the family but the writing was good as well.

Have read one fifth or about. What does sadden me is that even if I have read this book and get to know this family in 2 months of now I will hardly recall a thing. Memory is getting worse.

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The famous portrait artist Klimt is referred to as being "sexually predatory."

One brother of Ludwig was Rudolf. It is believed he was worried about being identified as the subject of a study on homosexuals. On May 2, 1904, he walked into a restaurant and asked the pianist to play a popular song. Then he dissolved potassium cyanide into a glass of milk and drank it. Father Karl was humiliated. No one was allowed to mention Rudolf's name again.

Another brother Hans was also believed to be homosexual. His ending is shrouded in mystery. No one knows for certain where or how he died. The "most likely scenario" is that "he did indeed commit suicide." Probably "somewhere outside Austria," maybe in America.

Brother Paul the pianist was more famous than Ludwig in their lifetime. They had private tutoring and developed into hardened individualists who struggled to maintain meaningful relationships. Ludwig claims to have first had thoughts of suicide at age 10 or 11. An aunt and cousin also killed themselves.

Ludwig meets Bertrand Russell. He asks the great philosopher, "Will you please tell me if I am a complete idiot or not." Ludwig will decide between becoming an aeronaut or a philosopher based on the answer. Russell tells him to write a paper for him. After reading one sentence, he says, "No you must not become an aeronaut." And he did not.

Ludwig joined a group at Cambridge known as the Cambridge Conversazione Society, a secretive conclave of intellectual, left-wing, and mainly homosexual men. It included John Maynard Keynes and Lytton Strachey, as well as Russell.

Ludwig also meets his first friend, David Pinsent. The year 1912 was maybe the happiest year of his life. Pinsent will be killed in a plane crash in France in May 1918,

Each of the Wittgensteins donated much of their money to worthy causes. Ludwig supported the arts including the poets Rainer Maria Rilke and Georg Trakl. Trakl would kill himself with an overdose of cocaine the next year.

I have been fascinated by WWI because of its senselessness. Even more so than other wars. It seems many of the characters in this book looked forward to WWI as just what the Germanic people needed. And a sister thought war would do Paul Wittgenstein good if he lived. The pressures of overpopulation are a big factor. And in today's world we have lost sight of that with the anti-abortion movement.

Paul will lose his right arm. He will endure reprehensible conditions in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp. In one wagon of 65 prisoners, only 8 were still alive when they arrived at a camp. The famous fortress of Krepost once held Dostoevsky. It is the setting of The House of the Dead, also known as Buried Alive in Siberia. I can't imagine the stench and the lice. Paul did not make the first exchange of prisoners because his mother sent money in letters that Russians were stealing. When he is released, he learns to play piano with one hand.

There are many similarities between Wittgenstein's Tractatus and Leo Tolstoy's Gospel in Brief. I never knew that before. Ludwig claims to have bought the book in a shop where that was the only book. I assume he means many copies of that same book. He would now convert to Christianity, or at least Tolstoy's version of it. As he wrote in his notebook: "For life in the present there is no death."

In battle, Ludwig chose to be in the most dangerous spots. He decided fear in the face of death was "the sign of a false, i.e., a bad life."

When Woodrow Wilson joined the war, he buried his head in his hands and wept. He received applause in Congress for joining the war he had avoided for so long: "My message was one of death for young men. How odd it seems to applaud that."

Hitler was rendered temporarily blind and speechless by a gas attack. He believed he lived for a reason. "I resolved to consecrate my life to my country--to the task of driving out the enemies within her borders."

Brother Kurt would die probably at his own hand. The exact details are in doubt. The third suicide in the family.

Paul despised the new Communist regime in Russia. At least, he understood what was going on better than many leftists of the time. Paul spent much time there meeting famous Russian composers. Sadly, Ludwig became an enabler of Stalinist Russia. He may even have recruited spies. He always considered living there.

When Hitler moved into Austria, he was greeted with cheers and salutes. He changed from seeking connection to assuming power. Swastikas were everywhere. Not a good time for Austrian Jews. They lost voting rights, jobs, even the right to sit on park benches. The Wittgenstein's Jewish heritage became an issue for many years.

On kristallnacht, the night of November 9-10, anti-Semitic hooliganism destroyed the synagogue at Korback. Its records were lost in the fire. The Nazi greed for gold found a mine in the wealth of Jews fleeing the country. Forty years later, ancestors of Jews struggled to get back what was left. Switzerland was a part of that theft. Paul seemed to be the only one in the family to understand that the end was here for all Jews. SS soldiers pushed Jews over the border; Swiss guards pushed them back.

In 1938, Paul and Ludwig met for the last time. They never spoke, met, or corresponded with one another again.

Hitler next moved into Czech Sudetenland. It was easy. Next came Poland. Finally, the world decided to stop him.

Ludwig accepted an invitation from Norman Malcolm to stay in Ithaca, New York, after the war. He wanted to die in Europe. He had cancer of the prostate. The treatment was the female hormone estrogen.

He went back to Cambridge. He died at age 62, still writing. His last posthumous book was ON Certainty. His last thought: Someone who dreaming says "I am dreaming," even if he speaks audibly in doing so, is no more right than if he said in his dream "it is raining," while it was in fact raining. Even if his dream were actually connected with the noise of the rain.

When told he would not survive more than a couple of days, he said, "Good!" Before his last pass out, he said, "Tell them I've had a wonderful life!" He was buried the next day (April 30, 1951) by Catholic rite in the cemetery of St. Giles, Cambridge.

Paul lasted until March 3, 1961. He also had cancer, but died from pneumonia.

It wasn't until 2006 that Paul's heirs won back a small portion of the estate they had lost. That fact alone shows how the evils of humans can be passed on to others who continue the disgrace.

[Smurfette · Rating 3 out of 5]

"1958 hatte Felix das Palais in Neuwaldegg geerbt. (...) später wurde es für 23 Millionen Schilling verkauft und das Grundstück geteilt. Auf einem Teil davon baute man Privatwohnungen."
Jup, da bin ich aufgewachsen.

Ein sehr spannendes Portrait über eine wirklich ungewöhnliche Familie und natürlich umso spannender, da ich den einen Standort, an dem sie wohnten kenne wie meine Westentasche - wie man so schön sagt. Während ich die erste Hälfte des Buches sehr aufregend fand, weil da die unterschiedlichen Familienmitglieder vorgestellt werden, fand ich die zweite Hälfte eher langweilig, da es dann hauptsächlich nur um die geschichtlichen Entwicklungen in dieser Zeit und insbesondere um irgendwelche geschäftliche Verhandlungen ging, bei der sämtliche Familienmitglieder versucht haben, ihr Vermögen vor den Nazis zu retten.

[Ilona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turtingos, talentingos šeimos vidinių įtampų istorija per du pasaulinius karus. Nieko apie filosofiją nei apie muziką, labiau - apie lemtį ir gebėjimą/negebėjimą išgyventi realiame ir kūrybos, idėjų pasaulyje. Taip pat apie laikmetį, Vieną, imperijos klestėjimą ir žlugimą. Apie vertybių reliatyvumą ir apie tai, kad dabartyje neįmanoma suprasti nei tikrosios dalykų vertės, nei pasaulio krypties. Įspūdį neišvengiamai sustiprina skaitant aplink vis didėjanti COVID-19 grėsmė, kurios dabartyje taip pat neįmanoma objektyviai įvertinti. Ar ir už kiek parduosime savo brolius, klimtus ir stradivarijus?

[lisa_emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

More about Paul and less about Ludwig- a decent snapshot of a complicated and sometimes unlikeable family.

[Anton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Пушка, настоящий блокбастер, местами не верится, что речь идёт о реальных событиях.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book--written by the grandson of one of my favorite writers in the world, Evelyn Waugh, about one of the most fascinating famous families, the Wittgensteins.

I do agree with another reviewer below that rather than a family biography, this is really a book about Paul. I don't even think it was particularly great on Ludwig--which is shame, since Ludwig Wittgenstein is one of the most interesting philosophers in the history of European philosophy. The book doesn't do him justice. And it certainly doesn't do the rest of the Wittgenstein's justice. What it does do is recount in the most compelling way possible, the life of Paul. On this, it is a gem.

Ludwig Wittgenstein biographer and philosopher Ray Monk says: "The book will attract readers because of its utterly absorbing account of the military, musical and personal heroics of Paul Wittgenstein."

That pretty much sums it up. Paul was an extraordinary human being. We don't really know much about the "one armed pianist" but the story of his life and heroics is very moving. And I appreciated the details about why history has so forgotten him --and all the music that was written for him. (the chapter on Britten was especially interesting).

I wish he had painted more details to Ludwig and created a double biography. I was frustrated by the lack of detail concerning the house that Ludwig built for his sister. Frustrated by the lack of details about Ludwig's role in the history of philosophy.

Also, it needed more discussion about the way the family fell apart. I wish he had shown the way the pressures of the Nazis ripped the family apart. These converted Protestants, who never even considered themselves Jewish were torn apart.... money stolen and lives destroyed by the Nazis (and the Austrian collaborators). They were all close and then suddenly in the last pages of the book the family was at war and sadly they died each unreconciled to the others. I really felt that this sudden disaster needed more interpretation.

This was a fantastic review about a wonderful book
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

[Auf_Naxos · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Биография - это бестактность. Биография без бестактности бессмысленна", - утверждал Пауль Витгенштейн, как будто заранее зная о том, что большая биография его семьи, по крупицам воссозданная Александром Во, будет во многом откровенной и нелицеприятной. Тем более, основная роль в книге отведена именно ему, однорукому пианисту-виртуозу, известному сегодня в основном благодаря своему младшему брату. Тем не менее, книга Во - на редкость добросовестна. Автор скрупулезно роется в архивах, "бестактно" изучает сотни личных писем, пытаясь дойти до правды там, где это возможно.

История одного поколения, оказавшегося на изломе времен и ценностей, рассказана ярко, эффектно, увлекательно и при этом довольно подробно. Восемь по-разному одаренных детей могущественного промышленника Карла Витгенштейна, предприимчивого владельца и акционера сразу нескольких крупных компаний, шахт и рудников, были непохожи друг на друга только на первый взгляд. При ближайшем рассмотрении их, помимо блестящего образования и ясного ума, связывала запредельная любовь к музыке, сдержанная мечтательность, упрямая одержимость, а также склонность к самоубийству и предрасположенность к раку. История каждого из них - увлекательное путешествие с неожиданным и, как правило, трагичным финалом.

Блеск и нищета Витгенштейнов, когда-то спонсировавших лучших композиторов и художников эпохи, а после вымаливающих себе статус евреев-полукровок в родной Австрии, - лучшая иллюстрация того, насколько непредсказуемой, ироничной и жестокой может быть жизнь.

[Els · Rating 3 out of 5]

De geschiedenis van de familie Wittgenstein gaat voor het merendeel over Paul Wittgenstein, beroemd geworden als eenarmige pianist. Het gezin Wittgenstein telde 9 kinderen. De tweede dochter is kort na haar geboorte overleden en de drie oudste zoons hebben zelfmoord gepleegd. Ludwig, de jongste was een beroemd filosoof en Paul een beroemd pianist. De drie zussen leer je wel een beetje kennen in het boek, maar de meeste aandacht gaat uit naar Paul en Ludwig en dan nog het merendeel naar Paul. Paul is in de Eerste Wereldoorlog zijn rechterarm kwijtgeraakt, maar wilde zich blijven bekwamen (tegen zijn vaders wil) in het pianospel. Doordat de familie zo rijk was, kon hij componisten stukken laten schrijven voor linkshandig pianospel.
Aan het eind van het boek gaat er veel aandacht uit naar de moeilijkheden die de familie kreeg door de annexatie in 1938. De familie bleek Joodse voorouders te hebben en het kapitaal moest afgedragen worden aan de Duitse kas. Aan het eind van hun leven communiceerden de broers met de familie door middel van advocaten. De zussen hadden wel contact met elkaar.
Het boek is erg droog geschreven en door de tijdsprongen was het af en toe moeilijk te volgen. Veel aandacht gaat uit naar het geharrewar van Paul met componisten en naar financiële aangelegenheden.

[Beatriz Miranda Da Cruz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livro descrevendo a família Wittgenstein, segunda família mais rica da Europa na primeira metade do século XX. Karl , o patriarca fez fortuna com o monopólio do aço dentro do Império dos Habsburg. Tiveram 8 filhos que viveram completamente disfuncional. Dos 5 homens: 3 suicidaram-se e 3 eram homossexuais. Sobreviveram Paul que virou um pianista virtuoso com 1 só braço ( esquerdo) pois perdeu o braço direito na Primeira Guerra Mundial e quando esteve preso na Sibéria. E Ludwig famoso filósofo, que ninguém entende até hoje… de profissão arquiteto, que trabalhou na mansão da irmã Gretl em Viena.
Uma tragédia de vida familiar. As mulheres não estudaram! Perderam quase toda fortuna na 2 Guerra Mundial, quando os nazistas apropriaram da fortuna e tiveram que provar que não eram judeus para escapar da perseguição!

[Teresa Barbado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante retrato de la familia Wittgenstein escrita de forma ágil y amena por Alexander Waugh.
El relato abarca desde el final del S. XIX hasta la muerte del último de los hijos de Karl, patriarca de la familia y de Leopoldine, en los años 60 del siglo XX. Una familia, inmesamente rica, judia cristianizada, culta y refinada, pero tambien en ocasiones inestables emocionalmete hasta el punto de que tres de los hijos se suicidaron. Todos ellos están marcados por los acontecimientos históricos que les toca vivir, guerras, persecución y exilio en la mayoria de los casos. En el relato hay cierto desequilibrio en cuanto al tratamiento de los personajes, el que merece mas atención es Paul, el pianista, quizás porque el autor del libro además de escritor es crítico musical y músico el mismo.

[Irina Toumanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

И Пауль, и Людвиг, как оказалось, были знакомы с Россией (СССР) не понаслышке. При этом:

Больше всего Пауль ненавидел новый коммунистический режим, вездесущую его пропаганду, нищету, в которую он загонял людей. «Когда черная зависть наряжается равенством, война против привилегий становится боевым кличем»[328], — цитировал он своего любимого венского поэта, Франца Грильпарцера.

Людвиг же писал:
«Важно, что у людей есть работа… Тирания не вызывает у меня негодования». В 1933 году он начал брать уроки русского языка, и через два года решил, что хочет жить в Советском Союзе с Фрэнсисом Скиннером. «Там можно жить, но только если все время осознаешь, что нельзя говорить то, что думаешь»

[Angela Sorby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The topic is fascinating, but Waugh, as an author, is a poor match for the Wittgenstein saga. His tone is bizarrely flippant as he details major tragedies. His contempt for women ("biddies," "old ladies," "bossy," "sexually reticent") is particularly grating. He offers a lot of information about WWI and II, all available elsewhere, in lieu of delving into any sustained analysis of the family dynamic. I was looking forward to this book and was disappointed; the three stars reflect the subject matter, rather than the execution.

[Mary Biggerstaff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as part of our preparation for traveling to Vienna this summer. While the Wittgenstein family is deeply compelling, but the misery of much of the family, despite their brilliance and wealth. It was still worth reading to know more about the story of the Wittgenstein family and early twentieth century Vienna. On of the more interesting antectdotes from the book is the horror with which the family learned that Hitler's laws applied to their family, while ethnically Jewish were raised as Christians.

[Altan Suphandag · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not an easy read, not as bad as history class assignment reads but it wasnt a flowing family story. If it was required of me to shelf this book in a library, I would definitely choose music section. The book focused more on elder Wittgenstein brother, and his iron will to gain his place in the music word "single handedly" .I must say during and after the read I grew liking to piano repertoir for the left hand.

[Gerhard · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sad and totally messed up Austrian family caught in Hitlers Nazi Germany, even though they never thought of themselves as Jewish they got classified as such because of their great grandfather...and the trials and travails of trying to save their vast fortune and trying to live "normal" lives despite their internal family squabbling...

[Dominik Pichler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gelegentliche Geschichten aus dem Nähkästchen der Familie Wittgenstein bieten tiefere Einblicke und machen das Buch zumindest phasenweise lesenswerte. Leider ist die Geschichte Ludwig's, (um deren Willen ich das Buch eigentlich gelesen habe) etwas zu seicht behandelt worden.

[Lila Gloria Fernández de Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy Buena, muy interesante este periodo de la historia visto por una familia millonaria, austriaca donde los hijos ( dos de ellos famosos) sufren grandes traumas desde la infancia y sufren las dos guerras mundiales.

[Mick Maurer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives extensive information on Paul, limited on Ludwig, on the three sisters: Helene, Hermine & Gretl. As well as the three brothers who committed suicide, Rudolph, Kurt & Hans. Some on their parents and their other relatives.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough, accurate. Parts on P.W got a little lengthy and monotonous especially near the end, but it was fine. Good to read in one afternoon. Images were placed in the middle of the book, rather random. However, the images were decent.