Two more Austrian writers writing in German come to Vietnamese readers

They are Joseph Roth and Ingeborg Bachmann through three works: Hotel Savoy, Three Ways to the Lake and Radetzky March . These are all representative works of these writers and are translated and introduced in our country for the first time.

Hotel Savoy - Joseph Roth

Released in 1924, this short story revolves around a Jewish soldier, Gabriel Dan, returning home after World War I. On his journey, he accidentally stays at the Hotel Savoy - a hotel with a strong European character as well as typical of the division between rich and poor, noble and humble in this period.

Book published by FORMApubli and Thanh Nien Publishing House, translated by Phan Nhu

There the rich live on the luxurious lower floors, while the top floors are reserved for the weak, without property and living a life of utter misery.

It can be said that Joseph Roth captured the world very accurately and deeply at the exact moment of the reversal that was about to take place, when immediately after that the top floors became a real dream.

In this work, by exploiting the contrasts between the landscapes of two classes of people, Austrian writer Joseph Roth highlighted an extremely chaotic period when human values ​​were underestimated, especially those of gentleness and honesty, as well as sacrificing themselves for a somewhat great purpose.

Besides the sympathetic tone of writing - thereby evoking a deep nostalgia for one's homeland, Roth also delves into many satirical and mocking images, making readers constantly impressed with a situation where human values ​​are disregarded and trivial material things are exalted.

Three Ways to the Lake - Ingeborg Bachmann

Book published by FORMApubli and Thanh Nien Publishing House, translated by Thanh Nghi

Comprising five short stories, Three Ways to the Lake is the best known and considered the most important work of Austrian writer and poet Ingeborg Bachmann.

All stories are told from the perspective of female characters, as they journey across the borders of love, marriage, memory, language... disconnected and uncertain about what the future holds for them.

For example, in the longest and most complex story, which was chosen as the title of the work, Bachmann wrote about Elisabeth - a successful photojournalist in her 50s who has lived all over the world - returning to her country house.

During her journeys to find a way to a lake now torn apart by ropes and humans, she recalls important events in her life: special childhood memories with her younger brother and mother, romantic relationships with many men of different ages..., thereby trying to find meaning for what she has experienced.

It is not difficult to see that Elisabeth in particular and most of Bachmann's female characters in general tend to escape from reality. In other stories, Bachmann also created characters who refused to wear glasses to avoid seeing reality or who lay in bed while the day passed...

With the complex appearance of many languages ​​and their ambiguity, it is easy to see that Bachmann is pointing to a reality of a world torn apart by war in which rich languages ​​appear, as well as implicitly alluding to the imperialism that contributed to expansion when mentioning Algeria, Vietnam as well as the profession of reporter or interpreter.

With a sharp, cold tone, a thoughtful writing style and unique character models, this can be said to be a typical work to introduce this special female writer to Vietnamese readers. In 1963, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature by German philologist Harald Patzer.

Radetzky March - Joseph Roth

Described as "rarely a book comparable to Joseph Roth's Radetzky March in describing the decline of the Habsburg empire", the book revolves around three generations of the Von Trotta family from its "peak" during the empire to its decline and disintegration during and after World War I.

Book published by FORMApubli and Dan Tri Publishing House, translated by Cao Viet Dung

Throughout the book, the long life of an Austro-Hungarian emperor and the Radetzky "march" are what make up a very difficult novel to imagine with increasing lethargy, with flashes of seeing destruction... from the time when everything still looked solid and magnificent.

In Three Ways to the Lake , Bachmann also references this work in a character named Trotta. Both writers are haunted by a glorious past now gone, as Roth writes: "My most powerful experience was the war and the fall of my country, the only country I ever had: the Austro-Hungarian monarchy".

In 2003, literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki, known as the "pope of German literature", included the book in his list of the most important novels written in German.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/them-2-nha-van-ao-viet-bang-tieng-duc-den-voi-doc-gia-viet-nam-185241213105455305.htm