Dying by Arthur Schnitzler
Austrian fiction
Translated by Anthea Bell
source – library book
When I happened on this at the library the other week I just had to pick it up for German lit month as the book dream story by him I read for last years German lit month was on of my favourite books last year .He start of as a doctor was friends with Freud then became a writer.He was known for tackling taboo subjects and one would imagine at the time this book was written it maybe was slightly taboo ,he wrote numerous plays ,novels and short stories this dying is one of his earliest books .he was also part of a group that meet in cafes in Vienna that were called the Viennese modernist .
Then with his head still against her breast so that his words came to her with a heavy ,hollow sound ,he said ,”Marie,Marie ,I didn’t want to tell you ,one more year and then it will be over ” now he was weeping violently and loudly
Felix telling Marie what he has near start of the book
Now dying is the story of a couple Felix and Marie it starts with them enjoying life as a romantic couple but then we start see that Felix isn’t well in fact he is dying .Now Marie is so in love with her man she vows to him that when he dies she will die at the same time her self out of love for him(but also as it turns out maybe duty ) .As the novel progress we see Felix getting weaker but also Marie that at the start of the story comes across as maybe a little weak and maybe under Felix’s spell become a stronger more independent women .
She had partly recovered her composure .She threw her hat down on the chair behind her ,sat down on the sofa too and said coaxingly ” darling I only went out for an hour in the open air .I was afraid I might fall ill myself and then what use would I be to you ? And I took a cab so as to get back quickly ”
Marie becomes much bolder through out the book
The heart of this story is what would you do for love how much is your life work fundamental questions that everybody ask themselves from time to time in their own lives , also power in relationships who has the upper hand Felix over Marie in a way a the start she loves him deeply but then when she makes the promise to die she then sees her life for what it truly is and over the last year of Felix life see her change .Another book from this time with a strong female at the centre of the story .I could see this making a great two hander play or film with two great actors at the lead it would make for wonderful drama .I enjoyed this another small gem from Pushkin they manage to find so many wonderful novellas from round Europe.
Have you read this book ?
Do you have a favourite Austrian writer ?
I’ve loved the Schnitzler I’ve read so far, and this sounds like another good one 🙂 Vienna was obviously a small place as everyone seemed to know – and influence – each other at this time: including Freud…
I almost picked this but then opted for two others but marked this for later reading.
Roth and Schnitzler are my favourite Austrian writers. Zweig is a bit too sentimental, at least in German. I haven’t read von Doderer yet. He should be great as well. Oh – and Ingeborg Bachmann and Marlen Haushofer. Just started one of her novels.
What is it about these Austrian writers? Schnitzler and Zweig are both so brilliant when inside a woman’s head …
This sounds excellent and very moving. I’ve read a couple of Pushkin novels in the last year and found them both to be very high quality literature.
I’ve a review of this at mine, and for those not minded to wander over there I’ll summarise – I loved it. Particularly it’s excellent in the way Marie promises not to live without Felix, but as the prospect of Felix’s death becomes more real that promise seems less and less appealing to follow through on. Tremendous stuff.
Schnitzler is brilliant. I’ve covered his Fraulein Else also at mine and if you’ve not read it Stu you should, I think you’d like it.
It sounds as though everyone agrees that Schnitzler is well worth reading, so on my ever-expanding list he goes. I think that making a promise and then not wanting to follow through with it is something that happens a lot in real life, but this is the ultimate promise, and I can see that a very powerful story would unfold as their positions are slowly reversed.
Oh, Stu–I’ve got to read this! Lining up my Christmas and January break reads! Thank you for this post. Bernhard Schlink Week is up today!
Best wishes to you,
Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)
Well, I don’t know this one of Arthur Schnitzler’s works, but the others that I know – ‘Rhapsody: Dream Story’, ‘Fräulein Else’, ‘Berta Garlan’, ‘Beate and her son’ – are just amazing. He’s my favourite Austrian writer along with Franz Werfel and above all Joseph Roth.
He is my favourite Austrian too will be reading another later this year I think for German lot month all the best stu