Customer Reviews

Unsentimental Journey: A Report (Studies in Austrian Literature, Culture, and Thought Translation Series)

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Drach, an Austrian-Jewish lawyer and (then) closet-writer (he achieved success very late in life, long after world war 2), is forced to flee to France after the German's occupy Austria. He ended up in occupied France and survived by determination, pretending to be Catholic and luck. In his "report", written just after the war, he relates the story of his survival and really bares his soul. This is by no means a pleasant story about a likeable character; in order to survive, the "hero" has to cheat, be egotistical, pretend to be something he isn't, and more. Drachs tale is very detached, he refuses to justify himself and his actions, and it is this style that makes the book so chilling. A very accurate portrayal of the price he payed for survival that pulls you in from the first page. Hightly recomended!