From Publishers Weekly
Due to their homeland's ominous political past (and present), editor Martin Chalmers notes that many modern Austrian writers feel "like ‚migr's in their own country"; hence the stories that make up Beneath Black Stars tend to be as dark as the title suggests. Margit Schreiner takes a swipe at outdated pastoral representations of Austrian culture in "The Kargeralm Shepherd," which details a man's coupling with a sheep. Alfred Kolleritsch's stunning "A Platonic Meal" is an indictment of class systems and a study of "the transformation of desire into appetite and gluttony." Adventurous readers will be intrigued by such formally innovative pieces as "A Place for Coincidences," Ingeborg Bachman's disjointed, hallucinatory vision of Berlin.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
In the second half of the 20th century a large number of exceptional writers emerged from the small Austrian Republic. Yet the relationship of many of these writers with state and society in Austria has often been unhappy. Austrian writers have felt themselves excluded from the mainstream. This collection provides an opportunity to sample the rich variety of post-war Austian writing.
