Product Description

"The Radetzky March" charts the history of the Trotta family through three generations spanning the rise and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Through the Battle of Solferino to the entombment of the last Hapsburg emperor, Roth's intelligent compassion illuminates the crumbling of a way of life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16680 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-01
• Original language: German
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Review
'The Radetzky March can fairly claim to be one of the great novels of the last century. Its theme, beautifully articulated, is the end of an era. His anthem for a vanished world has the intense, fleeting beauty of a sunset' Sunday Telegraph 'Over recent years, the poet Michael Hofmann's glittering translations of Joseph Roth have single-handedly given a vanished voice fresh resonance in the English-speaking world. Now Hofmann has surpassed himself with the jewel in Roth's crown. The Radetzky March is a majestically assured and engaging novel' Boyd Tonkin, Independent 'He saw, he listened, he understood. The Radetzky March is a dark, disturbing novel of eccentric beauty... If you have yet to experience Roth, begin here, and then read everything' Eileen Battersby, Irish Times 'The true reading pleasure afforded by the rich environment Roth captures may well have increased over time, while the schisms at the heart of Europe continue to fascinate. It seems that we are rediscovering in twentieth-century Central European literature classics for a new millennium' Time Out

Roger Scruton, The Times
‘A heartfelt evocation of an Empire ...Roth’s masterpiece is of such enormous relevance to our times’

Boyd Tonkin, Independent
‘Read The Radetzky March and the season’s finest classic serial will unfold - unaided – in the matchless theatre of imagination’

Customer Reviews

AUSTRIA IN DECLINE
Perhaps Joseph Roth is not the most widely known name in the literary world however his masterpiece, The Radetzky March, still commands an important place in 20th century German literature. The book was written during the early 1930's and it achieved widespread acclaim until it was supressed by the Nazis along with so many other works by Jewish writers, artists and so forth. The book charts the history of the Trotta family through three generations from 1859-1916. The decadence and impending collapse of the Austrian Empire are described in beautifully crafted and vivid language. A dark mood pervades the story - it is rather like watching a great river flow placidly towards an inevitable water fall. The characterisation is excellent and Roth contrives to draw out every possible detail as the book moves inexorably from scene to scene.

The novel can be appreciated as great literature and also as a valuable historical document. The Radetzky March is an important commentary on the fall of the Austrian Empire and how the legacy of those times still effects the mores Austrian society today.

This is a sound translation from German into English although some words could have been left alone eg ' Yessir for Jawohl '. This edition deserves to bring the Radetzky March to a much wider audience and can be thoroughly recommended.

KNC

Literary treasure.
This is a masterpiece to be savored, celebrated, and shared. Straddling the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, The Radetzky March uniquely combines the color, pomp, pageantry, and military maneuvering of the last days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire with the more modern political and psychological insights of the twentieth century, giving this short book a panoramic geographical and historical scope with fully rounded characters with whom the reader can empathize.

Atmospheric effects are so rich and details are so carefully selected that you can hear the clopping of hooves, rattling of carriage wheels, clang of sabers, and percussion of rifles. Parallels between the actions of man and actions of Nature, along with seasonal cycles, bird imagery, and farm activity, permeate the book, grounding it and connecting the author's view of empire to the reality of the land. Loyalty, patriotism, and family honor are guiding principles here, even when these values impel the characters to extreme and sometimes senseless actions, as seen in a duel.

Significantly, there are no birth scenes here, only extremely touching scenes of aging and death, adding further poignancy to the decline and fall of the empire itself. And just as Trotta, in the end, has a little canary brought in to him, commenting that "it will outlive us all," perhaps this novel, too, will someday emerge from its obscurity and live as the classic it deserves to be. Mary Whipple

Beautifully and intelligently written
This is the personal story of three generations of fathers and sons against the backdrop of the decline of the Austro-Hungarian empire. I was expecting a harsh, agressive book about honour and death and indeed these themes are key to the story but the style is tender, emotive and full of confused regret.

The fathers and sons in question have a distant, reticent respect for each other but also a deep and unfathomable love. The youngest von Trotta's life unravels into an out of control heap which mirrors the demise of the empire itself. While his father, the older generation 'going on', can only look on sadly impotent.

The clarity of detail and description of the various incidents and events that mark the life of the youngest protagonist are stunningly real. The quality of the writing and the translation is so good that you feel as though you are watching something rather than reading it.

Perhaps I'm making this book sound wafty and nostalgic, it is nostalgic but it's vision is razor sharp. I was moved to tears in one chapter when the Trotta's old servant Jacques becomes ill and dies. It's beautifully and intelligently written. Another book I have to ration because it is such a treat to read writing as good as this.