Late Fame by Arthur Schnitzler
Continuing with this month’s German theme, I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of this book from the lovely Pushkin Press (for which many thanks!); I’ve been keen to read Schnitzler for a while and I’m sure I have at least one book by him lurking somewhere. However, “Late Fame” sounded fascinating: a lost work of a famous author which survived hidden away in his archive. The archive itself had an intriguing history; Schnitzler died in 1931, and his literary legacy was stored in his son’s house in Vienna. When the Nazis forcibly took control of Austria in 1938, it was likely that the work would be destroyed, as Schnitzler’s books had been amongst those burned by the Nazis earlier in the decade. Fortunately, due to intervention by the British Consulate, the seal of the British Government was placed on the door of the archive, and thereafter it made its way by a tortuous route to the Cambridge University Library where it stayed hidden all those years.
Wikipedia has Schnitzler listed as simply “an Austrian author and playwright. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the Viennese Modernism.” But it goes on to note that much of his work was considered controversial for its frank sexual content, and that his books were labelled as “Jewish filth” by Hitler (hence the burning, presumably). Nothing like this is present in “Late Fame”, however, which tells the story of one Eduard Saxberger, a lowly and ageing civil service clerk. Unmarried and fairly solitary, he’s in the habit of spending his evenings in a local restaurant with locals he’s known for years, conversing and playing cards. However, one evening he returns home to find a young man waiting for him by the name of Meier. Meier declares he is a poet, and has come to pay homage to the forgotten author of “Wanderings” – for indeed, in his youth, Saxberger had published such a volume of poems, a fact he hasn’t thought about for many years.
Meier tells the bemused Saxberger that he and his friends (grouping themselves under the name of ‘Enthusiasm’) are all huge fans of “Wanderings” and as typical misunderstood artists they empathise with his plight. Saxberger hadn’t actually realised he had a plight, but as he begins to mix with the young people, he realises he has been neglected for too long. The young artists begin to plan a performance, at which Saxberger will perform a new work and all will be showered in glory. However, things are not necessarily that straightforward: How will Saxberger be received by new generations of audiences? Is the work of the young poets really as incomprehensible as it seems to him? What will his old friends think of his new status as a famous poet? What do his new young friends *really* think of “Wanderings”? And most importantly of all, can Saxberger still write poetry?
“Late Fame” is quite fascinating; not only is it a devastating satire of the untalented artist, convinced he’s misunderstood by the world and that everyone else is a failure, but it also deals with the effect of false flattery on a simple nature. Saxberger *is* a simple man; used to spending his time with his restaurant friends, he’s seduced by the illusion of fame, convincing himself that his real life should have been as a famous poet and not an ordinary man. Fortunately, he’s grounded enough to recognise the illusion in time and step back into his own world, something that the younger people won’t be able to do, and Schnitzler lets him off lightly. As one of his friends sensibly points out, all young men of the time tried their hands at poetry, but once they outgrew this tendency they went on to live a normal life. However, the author has no mercy at all for the second-rate members of Enthusiasm and I can’t foresee much of a future for them in the creative world….
Apparently Schnitzler based many of the characters in the book on real people, a parody of a literary circle that met in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century. The characters are certainly wonderfully drawn, from the pompous Meier through the ageing and fading actress Fräulein Gasteiner to timid young Winder (who I felt was the most sincere of the group). “Late Fame” manages to be funny and poignant at the same time, satirizing brilliantly the pretensions of would-be literati. It’s published in a beautiful little hardback edition by the wonderful Pushkin Press who once again deserve awards for bringing us this newly translated English version. If you’ve ever fancied yourself as a bit of a poet, it might be worth reading this book first…. 🙂
(Many thanks to Pushkin Press for kindly providing a review copy – details of the book can be found on their website here, and they also publish a number of other titles by Schnitzler which will definitely be worth exploring!)
Nov 27, 2015 @ 07:07:17
Sounds wonderful and I love the look of the book. I don’t see any sign of it over here yet but Pushkin releases in North America are often 6-12 months behind.
Nov 27, 2015 @ 07:28:43
It’s a lovely book in both form and content. I’m glad Pushkin release their books worldwide!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 08:38:33
This sounds really interesting on a number of different levels. Firstly there’s the list of questions you’ve highlighted and secondly the source of inspiration for these characters is very intriguing. I’d like to read more by Schnitzler in the future so I’ll have to take a closer look at this one. Thanks for an excellent review, Karen.
Nov 27, 2015 @ 09:02:21
Thanks Jacqui! Yes, it’s a fascinating book – and I’d like to know more about the milieu of the Viennese cafes. Definitely need to read more Schnitzler!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 13:20:10
I like your review and I like Schnitzler. He is so relevant to our time, elegant but true, playing masterly with understatement and a whole fan of feelings and shades. At the same time, he sees so clearly that his world is coming to an end, as ours is… 🙂
Nov 27, 2015 @ 13:30:27
Thank you! Yes, you’re right – there’s a very fin de siecle feel to the book!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 20:06:44
You’re French, aren’t you? Nobody has heard of La Comtesse de Ségur outside of France, right?
Your alias is such a nice madeleine!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 22:05:53
Yes, I am French. Does it show both in the alias and in the writing?
Nov 27, 2015 @ 22:11:57
In the alias, yes.
No idea about the writing, I’m French too!
Nov 28, 2015 @ 13:02:43
Oh, good! Part of Mother’s family was/is Englih and I have lived abroad a lot. Personal issues in my life make it easier for me to use English rather than French, and I started blogging recently, mostly for English-speaking friends. My “audience” is widening – I am surprised… -. Would you tell me why you are using English? Please, do not answer if I am to “nosy”? (I have) another blog in French but it deals with very specific issues).
Nov 28, 2015 @ 14:34:12
My blog is in English because I wanted to exchange with foreigners and discover other books than the ones promoted in France. It went very well. I’ve “met” people from different countries and discovered new writers.
Nov 29, 2015 @ 11:15:08
My reading was multilingual and nowadays I do not read much in French except for classics. But my blog is not book oriented only. It has almost always connections with books or poetry but it is more diversified.
Nov 27, 2015 @ 13:50:24
I’ve only read ‘Dream Story’ by Schnitzler but wasn’t too impressed with it. This one sounds a lot better. Is it a novella or full novel? Is that the actual manuscript on the cover?
Nov 27, 2015 @ 14:10:14
I think “Dream Story” is the other one I have. I would say definitely a novella – it’s quite short – but worth reading. I don’t know if that’s the actual manuscript on the front, but it should be – how wonderful if it was!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 16:37:51
The Pushkin Press books do look like lovely editions. So many names on their list I know nothing about -so wouldn’t really know where to start.
Nov 27, 2015 @ 18:25:03
I don’t know a lot of the authors either, but they’re all usually good so I just go for books I like the sound of!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 16:42:49
I haven’t read any of his works, but I think I should!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 18:24:28
Definitely!
Nov 27, 2015 @ 20:05:26
This will be released in French in February. Thanks for the review, it’s something I’ll probably like.
Nov 27, 2015 @ 20:14:59
Excellent – hope you enjoy! 🙂
Nov 27, 2015 @ 23:07:08
Wonderful I have enjoyed the other books by him would loved to have been in Vienna back in the day myself
Nov 28, 2015 @ 09:03:15
It must have been fascinating!
Nov 28, 2015 @ 01:38:07
Carl Schorske’s Fin-de-siècle Vienna: Politics and Culture remains the book if you want a serious entry into Schnitzler’s milieu. Peter Gay’s Schnitzler’s Century is also useful.
Nov 28, 2015 @ 09:03:00
Thanks – I’ll look out for these!
Nov 28, 2015 @ 13:20:37
Very intriguing. I don’t read much German lit at all and seem to have let November get away with me, but I did check and have NOTHING on the tbr. Ah well, we can’t do them all!
Nov 28, 2015 @ 14:24:55
No, we can’t, and I’m trying only to do ones which fit in with my mood – then I succeed!!
Nov 29, 2015 @ 17:04:05
This sounds great. I really loved Fraulein Else which I read for your 1924 Club and want to read more by this author.
Nov 29, 2015 @ 17:55:39
I’d like to read more of him too; on the strength of this, he’s a great writer!
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