Das österreichische Antlitz: Essays

A vivid portrait of early‑twentieth‑century Vienna unfolds through a series of short, impressionistic essays. The voice belongs to a retired civil servant who, on his sixty‑first birthday, wanders the city’s boulevards and cafés, noting the scent of violets, the chatter of young women, and the quiet decay of once‑bright aristocratic figures. His observations are intimate yet measured, offering a glimpse of daily rituals without slipping into sentimentality.

The pieces range from a piano lesson with a famed teacher to a leisurely stroll through the suburbs, from a satirical glimpse of a royal parade to a reflective visit to the Schönbrunn menagerie. Each essay captures a distinct facet of Austrian society—its music, its politics, its social customs—while the narrator’s steady, slightly nostalgic tone ties them together. Listeners will feel the rhythm of the city’s streets, hear the clink of coffee cups, and sense the subtle shift between youthful optimism and the inevitable passage of time.