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Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew

Redaktioneller Bericht - Kirkus Reviews

A short unparagraphed novel by the Austrian Bernhard (Woodcutters; Concrete; etc.), partly an autobiographical memoir, that's an intellectually challenging meditation on the place of the artist in the chaotic modern world. In 1967, the narrator (Bernhard) is bedridden in the same hospital as Wittgenstein's nephew Paul, who has been institutionalized for mental disease. Bernhard, a lung patient who must constantly move between the city and the country for his health (once he leaves the hospital), enters into a kind of friendship with Paul, who fascinates him and becomes finally his doppelganger. In a leisurely essaylike narrative, Bernhard chronicles Paul's circumstances--after squandering his millions on the poor and becoming destitute, he deteriorates, and his attacks come more frequently as he practices madness in the way his uncle practiced philosophy. As Bernhard and Paul live in fear of death, they argue about everything from music (to Bernhard, Karajan is a genius; to Paul, a charlatan) to motor racing (to Bernard, it's brainless; to Paul, it's music). There are also several set-pieces: most amusing is a Kafkaesque, blackly humorous telling of Bernhard's attempt to receive a writing award from a sullen and insulting group of people. Bernhard goes on to meditate on sickness (the healthy and the sick have problems understanding one another) and memorializes Paul (discarded by his family as a fool) for a kind of integrity lacking in others (he refuses to take the world's business seriously). In the end, Bernhard becomes embittered by his friend's condition, but traces his dying from notes and memories. All in all, a poignant character portrait and meditation similar in tone and method to Peter Handke's A Sorrow Beyond Dreams.

Nutzerrezensionen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Katherine Kreuter - Goodreads

Very odd. Clearly some people love this writer, judging from the reviews. Only after starting it did I read it described elsewhere as 'nearly plotless'. I'm pretty keen on plot, most of the time, but ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Alex - Goodreads

Enjoyed this quick read, which served as a refresher on some of Bernhard's idiosyncrasies I'd forgotten since reading Gargoyles and other works several years back. It's not as dark or nihilistic as ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - matt - Goodreads

I picked this up because I'd read Berhard's "The Loser" already and the same friend who had leant it to me suggested I check out another Berhard joint. Part of the reason he interests me is because he ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Gary - Goodreads

this is the first Bernhard book I've read. I was made aware of him by listening to an interview of WG Sebald. in it he mentioned that Bernhard was his mentor. if he helped Sebald find his voice, he ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Emmett - Goodreads

The casual Bernhard fan will prefer Concrete's light humour to this strange little book, but the diehard, uh, Bernhard-ian will infinitely prefer Wittgenstein's nephew, which mixes the fictive and the ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Will Northrup - Goodreads

The man can write, no doubt. This book, however, is far from perfect. The form, a hundred page paragraph, feels arbitrary. Grammatically, it's inappropriate because Bernhard shifts topics and time ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Crystal - Goodreads

After reading a few passages from this book auf Deutsch, I was prepared for the English translation to be just as circuitous and sporadic as the original German. I wasn't prepared, however, for ... Vollständige Rezension lesen

Review: Wittgenstein's Nephew: A Friendship

Nutzerbericht - Derek Emerson - Goodreads

At times interesting, at times a portrait of self- obsessed people. Perhaps Bernhard's plays or novels would be a better place to start. Vollständige Rezension lesen