
Bertha Garlan follows a quiet mother’s afternoon walk along a sun‑drenched hillside, her young son darting ahead while the town below glitters beneath a golden haze. The narrative lingers on the simple, almost ritualistic pace of their journey—past vineyards, a solitary cemetery, and the occasional passing carriage—capturing the gentle rhythm of rural life in a small European community.
Through Bertha’s thoughts we glimpse a life marked by loss and lingering memories of a marriage that ended too soon. Her reflections on past trips, the river’s calm, and the small comforts of daily routine hint at a deeper longing for connection and peace. As the heat of an unusually warm May afternoon settles over her, the story invites listeners to share in her quiet contemplation and the subtle beauty of ordinary moments.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (321K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2006-02-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1862–1931
A doctor turned writer in fin-de-siècle Vienna, he explored desire, anxiety, and the hidden lives people keep from one another. His fiction and plays helped shape literary modernism with their sharp psychological insight and quiet boldness.
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