The Radio Family |
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| Author:
| Bachmann, Ingeborg |
| Translator:
| Mitchell, Mike |
| Afterword by:
| McVeigh, Joseph |
| Series title: | The German List Ser. |
| ISBN: | 978-0-85742-191-3 |
| Publication Date: | Jul 2014 |
| Publisher: | Seagull Books
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| Book Format: | Hardback |
| List Price: | USD $27.50 |
Book Description:
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Ingeborg Bachmann was at the beginning of her writing career when she became a member of the script team of three in 1951. The fifteen scripts she contributed were thought lost until they turned up in the literary estate of one of the other writers, Jörg Mauthe, in the 90s. They provide a fascinating and often amusing picture of the way Austria saw itself--or, perhaps, wanted to see itself--in the early 50s. In situations ranging from birthdays parties, holiday plans to Christmas...
More DescriptionIngeborg Bachmann was at the beginning of her writing career when she became a member of the script team of three in 1951. The fifteen scripts she contributed were thought lost until they turned up in the literary estate of one of the other writers, Jörg Mauthe, in the 90s. They provide a fascinating and often amusing picture of the way Austria saw itself--or, perhaps, wanted to see itself--in the early 50s. In situations ranging from birthdays parties, holiday plans to Christmas shopping and a visit to the theatre, they reaffirm middle-class Viennese Gemütlichkeit, despite the occasional difficulty of making ends meet. Other more serious topics are touched on, from the problems of displaced persons, profiteering and currency fraud in the commercial sector, the appreciation of modern art and even, briefly, Austrians’ involvement in the Nazi period.
At this period Bachmann was establishing herself as a major German poet, but she also wrote radio plays. The episodes she contributed to The Radio Family that have now been brought to light, especially her portrayal of an average family, extend our knowledge of her development at an important formative stage.