Michael maar explores the work of Austrian author Heimito von Doderer
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Germanist Michael Maar, based in Berlin, has repeatedly studied the work of Austrian writer Heimito von Doderer, visiting Doderer’s memorial site in Vienna’s Alsergrund district as part of his research.
Maar first encountered Doderer through the novel Strudlhofstiege and described Doderer’s writing as similar to Proust, baroque, witty, and psychologically insightful. Doderer himself reportedly referred to himself as an “Austrian cactus” because of his prickly yet sensitive nature.
Maar argues that Doderer was a master of storytelling who broke many traditional rules of narrative, yet still maintained complete control of his craft. He believes Doderer’s sentences are unique and express complex thoughts in a way that cannot be imitated. Maar contrasts Doderer with Thomas Mann, noting that while Mann sometimes indulged in rhetoric, Doderer’s style remained consistently strong. The two authors shared some thematic similarities.
Maar points out that both The Magic Mountain by Mann and Doderer’s The Waterfalls of Slunj feature pivotal scenes at waterfalls with deadly consequences. Maar also finds recurring themes of guilt in both authors’ works. Mann’s writing, he suggests, reflects a personal struggle for justification and repentance, while Doderer’s unfinished novel The Border Forest depicts mass shootings in a Russian prisoner-of-war camp and explores the possibility of moral compromise through a character who may have aided in identifying victims.
Maar will discuss Doderer and Thomas Mann at a symposium in Vienna on September 19.
