Customer Reviews (2)

The Flaubertain writer for whom nothing is trivial as long as it is right
Elias Canetti fascinated with the genius of Kafka reads one set of the 'letter- diary' literature , that between Kafka and his two - time fiancee Felice Bauer. Canetti sees the letters of Kafka to Bauer as an astounding work of literature, a guidebook to the soul.
Kafka met Felice Bauer in August 1913 a day after gathering together the writings of his first published work, "Meditations" . Two days after meeting her he sat down and wrote for nine hours straight , his breakthrough story 'The Judgment' As Cannetti sees it the meeting with Felice Bauer led to one of the most productive literary periods of his life.
The three- month idyll ended when the efficient, strong, but not very literary- Bauer showed no enthusiasm for Kafka's first work, and instead praised the works of those whose names we do not know today.
This small work traces one chapter in the life of one mankind's greatest literary artists, the one who more than any other made the precise description of his own anxieties and fears an eternal part of the collective human soul portrait.
This work is too filled with many insightful passages by Canetti who reads the life of Kafka with sympathy admiration and understanding.

An intriguing aperitif, but not quite the main attraction
Canetti presents a readable overview of Kafka's intense correspondence with Felice Bauer, providing a rough biographical sketch of theauthor during this turbulent (two abortive engagements to the same woman) yetproductive (Metamorphosis, e.g.) time in his life. I don't think Canettisucceeded in proving his notion that Kafka's landmark novel The Trial is afictionalized representation of his oddly doomed relationship with Felice,but he does point out several interesting parallels which can enhance yourenjoyment of Joseph K's misadventures. The real value of Canetti's book is,in my opinion, the fact that it will probably inspire you to read Kafka'sown diaries and the actual letters to Felice themselves, and probably witha greater appreciation as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Very evocative
Wonderful picture of Canetti's youth, especially the early chapters describing the multicultural life of Jews in Bulgaria. The following two volumes of his autobiography - The Torch in My Ear and The Play of the Eyes - are, in my opinion, not nearly as good.

A remarkable bildungsroman
Canetti describes his travels as a wealthy spanish jew around many different european countries preceding and during the great war.His fiercely intellectual mother, uber-capitalist uncles, and antisemiticneighbors make for an incredibly interesting portrait. ... Read more

Product Description
The Bulgarian-born scholar and author Elias Canetti was one of the most astute witnesses and analysts of the mass movements and wars of the first half of the 20th century. Born a Sephardic Jew and raised at first in the Bulgarian and Ladino languages, he chose to write in German. He was awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize in Literature for his oeuvre, which includes dramas, essays, diaries, aphorisms, the novel Die Blendung (Auto-da-Fé) and the long interdisciplinary treatise Masse und Macht (Crowds and Power). These works express Canetti's thought-provoking ideas on culture and the human psyche with special focus on the phenomena of power, conflict, and survival. Canetti's masterful prose, his linguistic innovations, his brilliant satires and conceits continue to fascinate scholars and general readers alike; his challenging, genre-bending writings merge theory and literature, essay and diary entry. This Companion volume contains original essays by renowned scholars from around the world who examine Canetti's writing and thought in the context of pre- and post-fascist Europe, providing a comprehensive scholarly introduction. Contributors: William C. Donahue, Anne Fuchs, Hans Reiss, Julian Preece, Wolfgang Mieder, Sigurd P. Scheichel, Helga Kraft, Harriet Murphy, Irene S. Di Maio, Ritchie Robertson, Johannes G. Pankau, Dagmar C.G. Lorenz, Penka Angelova and Svoboda A. Dimitrova, Michael Mack. Dagmar C. G. Lorenz is professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Illinois-Chicago. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thirty years of thinking about nearly everything
Trans from the German by Joachim Neugroschel.Jottings, thoughts from 1942 to 1972."Many men have tried to grasp their lives in the full spiritual and intellectual context, and those who have succeeded will never grow old."This is a book that can be dipped into at random.Wisdom on every page."We have no standard any more for anything, ever since human life is no longer the standard.""Everything one records contains a grain of hope, no matter how deeply it may come from despair.""The enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend." ... Read more

Product Description
This book is an analysis of the autobiographical work of the multi-lingual writer and Nobel prize laureate Elias Cannetti, as well as the recognition of his writing in the German print-media. It shows both how the author presents his life as an artist and how critics respond to this very specific "Canettian" way of portraying his development and life as a poet. Canetti, who has refused interviews for many years, found his own way of communicating with his opponents which can be seen in his Aufzeichnungen. This communication becomes obvious through the analysis of the critics' response published in German, Swiss and Austrian papers. ... Read more