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Robert Musil

    November 6, 1880 – April 15, 1942

    This Austrian author's early work drew inspiration from his own experiences at military boarding schools, which were vividly depicted in his first novel. His writings delve into profound psychological territories, often exploring the complexities of human identity and perception. Later in his career, his prose became increasingly ambitious, tackling vast philosophical inquiries and social commentary. His distinctive analytical style and intellectual rigor mark him as a significant voice in modern literature.

    Robert Musil
    Precision and soul
    Agathe, or the Forgotten Sister
    The Man Without Qualities
    Diaries: 1899 - 1941
    Unions
    Picador Classics - 1: The Man Without Qualities
    • 2021

      One of the great short novels of the early twentieth century. It is a novel of youth; a novel of growing up; and it casts an unflinching look at the world.

      The Confusions of Young Toerless
    • 2020

      Theater Symptoms

      Plays and Writings on Drama

      • 622 pages
      • 22 hours of reading

      Robert Musil, primarily recognized for his modernist novel, also made significant contributions as a playwright and drama critic during 1921-1929. His theatrical works and critical essays are deeply intertwined with his broader literary endeavors and reflect his dedication to art as a vital social and cultural force. These plays and writings are not merely supplementary; they are essential to understanding his artistic vision and serve as a foundation for his renowned unfinished novel.

      Theater Symptoms
    • 2019

      Unions

      Two Stories

      • 178 pages
      • 7 hours of reading
      4.2(18)Add rating

      Set in 1911, this collection features two experimental stories that delve into the complexities of love and temptation. "The Completion of Love" and "The Temptation of Quiet Veronica" showcase Robert Musil's early explorations of emotional and psychological themes, influenced by his relationship with his fiancé, Martha Marcovaldi. These narratives reflect Musil's commitment to understanding human experiences, laying the groundwork for his later, more extensive works.

      Unions
    • 2019

      Agathe, or the Forgotten Sister

      • 464 pages
      • 17 hours of reading
      4.2(39)Add rating

      From the author of 'A Man without Qualities,' a novel about spirituality in the modern world. Agathe is the sister of Ulrich, the restless and elusive “man without qualities” at the center of Robert Musil’s great, unfinished novel of the same name. For years Agathe and Ulrich have ignored each other, but when brother and sister find themselves reunited over the bier of their dead father, they are electrified. Each is the other’s spitting image, and Agathe, who has just separated from her husband, is even more defiant and inquiring than Ulrich. Beginning with a series of increasingly intense “holy conversations,” the two gradually enlarge the boundaries of sexuality, sensuality, identity, and understanding in pursuit of a new, true form of being that they are seeking to discover. Robert Musil’s The Man Without Qualities is perhaps the most profoundly exploratory and unsettling masterpiece of twentieth-century fiction. Agathe, or, The Forgotten Sister reveals with new clarity a particular dimension of this multidimensional book—the dimension that meant the most to Musil himself and that inspired some of his most searching writing. The outstanding translator Joel Agee captures the acuity, audacity, and unsettling poetry of a book that is meant to be nothing short of life-changing.

      Agathe, or the Forgotten Sister
    • 2019

      Intimate ties

      • 208 pages
      • 8 hours of reading
      3.0(10)Add rating

      A master of high modernist literature explores female sexuality and desire through the eyes of two women—one, married and unfaithful; the other, caught in a love triangle—in these two erotic novellas First published in 1911, Intimate Ties is Robert Musil’s second book, consisting of two novellas, “The Culmination of Love” and “The Temptation of Silent Veronica”. Each revolves around a troubled woman in the throes of her sexual and romantic woes, as their memories of the past return to influence their present desires. Musil tracks the psyche of his protagonists in a blurring of impressions that is reflected in his experimental prose. Intimate Ties offers the reader an early glimpse of the high modernist style Musil would perfect in his magnum opus The Man Without Qualities.

      Intimate ties
    • 2015

      Thought Flights

      • 348 pages
      • 13 hours of reading

      Set against the backdrop of interwar Vienna and Berlin, the narrative delves into the complexities of urban life, exploring the secrets and challenges faced by its characters. Musil captures the essence of cosmopolitan existence, intertwining the mundane with profound insights into human experience during a tumultuous period.

      Thought Flights
    • 2015

      Robert K. Musil redefines the achievements and legacy of environmental pioneer and scientist Rachel Carson, linking her work to a wide network of American women activists and writers and introducing her to a new, contemporary audience. číst celé

      Rachel Carson and Her Sisters
    • 2014

      The Confusions of Young Törless

      • 208 pages
      • 8 hours of reading
      3.8(5262)Add rating

      Set in a boarding school in a remote area of the Habsburg Empire at the turn of the last century, The Confusions of Young Torless is an intense study of an adolescent's psychological development as he struggles to come to terms with his conflicting emotions. Through his relationship with two other boys Torless is led into sadistic and sexual encounters with a third pupil which both repel and fascinate him. Estranged from everyday life, Torless gradually learns to accept his experiences and describe them with analytical precision.

      The Confusions of Young Törless
    • 2010

      Five Women

      • 288 pages
      • 11 hours of reading

      A stunning collection of Musil's vivid and enticing stories, looking at love, desire and the heart of humanity.

      Five Women
    • 1998

      This text presents passages selected from his daybooks, affording the reader insights into Musil's passage from a young scientist to a soldier in the World War I to budding novelist. The diaries serve as a first-hand document of life in "fin de siecle" Vienna and Austria during two world wars.

      Diaries: 1899 - 1941