Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #121947 in Books
• Published on: 2001-01-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There is something about the art of travel writing that seems to bring out the very best in the most skilful practitioners. The late Bruce Chatwin produced some of his most incandescent prose in his travel books (some would say even more so than in his novels), and the legacy of this kind of non-pareil work may be found in Claudio Magris' Danube, a book which seamlessly combines sharp descriptive information with prose of the greatest transparency. Magris (whose amazing breadth of knowledge is evident on every page) takes the reader on a colourful journey from the source of the Danube in the Bavarian hills through Austro-Hungary and the Balkans to the Black Sea. At every stage of this voyage from the past to the present, Magris conjures up all the atmospheric associations of the houses, monuments and great personalities (from Marcus Aurelius to Kafka) and, in the process, produces a richly drawn picture of central Europe and a culture rich in the influences of the East and West. As in his celebrated Bohemia, Magris effortlessly incorporates his encyclopaedic knowledge into the kind of book that both recreates a whole continent and deeply inspires the reader to investigate this territory. In fact, to call this a travel book is an inadequate attempt to categorise something that can really only be judged as fine writing.

I take a few steps from my bench downhill to the source of the Berg, then, sousing my shoes and socks, climb up through the meadow towards the house. The water glitters in the grass, the spring flows quietly out, the green of the trees is good, and so is the smell. The traveller feels rather clumsy and small, aware of the superior objectivity in which he is framed. Is it possible that all those little trickles in a field are the Danube...which pours out into the Black Sea every year?

Amazon.co.uk Review
This is a very Italian book, reminiscent of Italo Calvino or Roberto Calasso. Part history, part philosophy, part travelogue and literature in the richest, most amply rewarding sense. Writing with tremendous exuberance, Claudio Magris has produced a paean to what Hölderlin called "the river of melody"--the Danube, Europe's main artery, and the heart of that elusive but fascinating zone known as Mitteleuropa. Magris is certainly erudite, and not afraid of displaying his erudition, but he also has a fine sense of humour and an eye for the absurd. According to one eminent sedimentologist, he tells us, the source of the Danube is a leaky tap in a remote mountain farmhouse. And of course, the one colour it isn't, ever, is blue. The Hungarians call it blond, apparently. "Muddy yellow" might be more accurate, says the author. His greatest passion, however, is people: poets, singers, murderers, emperors, Dracula, Kafka, Wittgenstein, Josef Mengele--all human life is here. And it makes doubly fascinating reading for having been written back in 1986, when brutes like Ceaucescu were still in power and the iron curtain was still in place, though beginning to tremble slightly now in the wind of history. -- Christopher Hart

Synopsis
A celebration of a river which has forever been at the centre of the great movements in history. In this fascinating journey through the history and culture of the Danube, the author invites the reader to accompany him along the whole course of the river, from the Bavarian hills to the Black Sea.

Customer Reviews

Landscape and Memory
I first read this book over 10 years ago and really enjoyed it. I've been re-reading it prior to visiting Eastern Europe and am struck again by how well Magris weaves together ideas, history and a sense of place. So much has happened since the book was published that it is fast becoming an interesting work of history itself. Although the book was well reviewed when it appeared, I wonder if it has been slightly forgotten about now, which would be a shame because the many readers who have enjoyed W G Sebald would, I think, find this equally satisfying.

Essential reading
Depressing to read disparaging remarks by a couple of reviewers who have failed to see the beauty and humanity in this book. I too was mistakenly expecting a travel book. This is far more than that. Reminds me of Jan Morris' writing which also extends far beyond a superficial description of place. Isn't one of the main points of travel to extend the horizon, to enable you to recognize, accept and appreciate differences between people, including "intellectuals"? Strong taste of sour grapes in these negative reviews: this is an enriching and important read.

Intellectually challenging and ultimately rewarding
The reader whose idea of intellectual travel writing has hitherto been restricted to Bill Bryson books will find reading this book a frustrating and dissappointing experience.

Whilst on the surface a travelogue on the subject of the Danube, this is really an exploration of the history and culture of Mitteleurope as seen through the eyes of it's literature. This is not a book which can be read in a single sitting, many of chapters and ideas will take time to digest. Certain chapters are worthy of several readings.

Ultimately, this is a book about discovery of a continent which can be mysterious to dweller of these Isles. In doing so it will change the reader, if they are so inclined.