Fictions from an Orphan State

Reviews / Votes

Ground breaking . . . . Barker is particularly adept at reading between the lines, at discovering individual and collective experience in outwardly fictional literature. He successfully employs his extensive knowledge of the era's literary production to provide captivating insights into not only select works of art, but also the often tortured biographies behind them. Most valuable may be his introduction of lesser known authors to an international audience. * FRANCIA-RECENSIO/PERSPECTIVIA.NET * [O]pens the door for a larger debate about the impact of Austria's unique political and social climate on the artistic output of [the period]. . . . [A]n important contribution to the field of Austrian Studies, as it repositions writers of the First Republic in the larger context of German-language literature and sheds new light on the events of the interwar period from an Austrian perspective. * GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW * [A] meticulously researched, groundbreaking book, one that illustrates the author's breathtaking knowledge of modern Austrian literature. Because of it, the recurrent question 'What is Austrian literature?' has become that much more exciting to consider for scholars. Barker's work is on all accounts a refreshing and welcome contribution to Austrian Studies on both sides of the Atlantic. * GERMAN QUARTERLY * [T]his is an invaluable book which draws on a lifetime's intimacy with Austrian literature to map a body of fiction, much of it barely known, against a relatively unfamiliar historical setting, with a lucid and engaging style. It must surely become a standard work. -- Ritchie Robertson * JOURNAL OF EUROPEAN STUDIES * This well-written, scholarly book has a unique emphasis. Barker . . . evaluates Austrian literature and identity separately from German. By considering both well-known and undeservedly obscure writers, he demonstrates that their insights are worthy of independent scrutiny, while he proves that a comprehensive history of Austrian literature is long overdue. . . . This excellent study fulfills a definite need in contemporary scholarship. . . . Recommended. * CHOICE *