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"This important, never-before-translated work by a major yet overlooked mid-20th century writer, is a brutally funny look at the human comedy on the eve of Europe's descent into Fascism. A classic, prescient work of pre-WWII literature by a major Weimar author about a young man who is a failed used car salesman. In search of another means to live the high life, he decides to travel by train from Berlin to Madrid to see the World's Fair--and hopefully meet a beautiful, rich woman who will provide for his every whim. It's a highly stylized, and at times raucously funny, tale of the almost-absurd: a dark and satiric look at Europeans, and especially Germans, from all levels of society on the brink of cataclysmic Fascism. And as such, it is, perhaps, the most significant work of this important writer's oeuvre. Von Horváth's work fearlessly tried to warn of the dangers of rising fascism and the militarization of Europe (which led to his having to flee Germany and Austria suc- cessively). His characters here are adrift in their acquisitive desires, making them vulnerable to the manipulations and propaganda of the State--and making this novel brilliantly foresightful in its understanding of politics and human nature at a crucial point in modern European history" --… (more)
User reviews
It wouldn't be easy to live up to a build-up like that.
The book did its best, but it was hindered by my near-complete lack of comprehension of the historical context of the stories. (The book is in three parts, which are definitely connected, but kind of separate.) An appreciation of this book doesn't require a familiarity with the political and economic conditions of Europe between the two world wars, but I couldn't help feeling it would be greatly improved by such knowledge. Particularly during Kobler's train voyage -- the attitudes that various strangers from different regions and countries took toward one another, not to mention remarks on cities and geographical features they passed through or by -- I felt repeatedly frustrated that I just had no context to place these in.
Despite all my lack of prior knowledge, The Eternal Philistine still managed to convey a great deal about its time and place, but even more about the universal state of people caught up in societal forces beyond their control. Some seek for, and some find, a way to thrive in their changing times. Others die by inches. There is an excellent quote near the end of this book, which could sum up most of it:
"If all the shitheads went and helped each other out, then every shithead would be better off."
Yes, this book is bitter, and dark. But what makes it bearable is not the comedy, but what makes any horror in life more bearable -- a little bit of human solidarity.
"The philistine," he tells us, is "an egoist who suffers from hypochondria, and this is why he seeks, like a coward, to fit in wherever he goes and to distort every new formulation of the idea by calling it his own." That's not the definition I would have made, but anyway, the important point is that "the old species of philistine no longer even deserves to be ridiculed, and whoever is still mocking him at present is at best a philistine of the future."
And we see how the philistine comports him or herself very clearly in this book, written around 1929--and somewhat chillingly showing how 'ordinary' people will do whatever the hell they (we) think will help them get ahead, not excluding, for instance, nazism. The old philistine believes in ideals like Art and the League of Nations and Universal Humanity, despite never having understood anything he's read. The new philistine believes only in his own wallet and penis, sees no need to justify his revolting actions, and never bothered to read anything at all.
That takes us through the first part of the novel, a train trip through a Europe turning fascist. In the second part, we get a female philistine; but while the gentlemen of the first part chose their philistinism, our Fraulein has it forced on her.
So, if you've ever wished that Evelyn Waugh had been a middle-european novelist, who was more sympathetic to the proletariat and more skeptical of the rich, you should probably read this book.
As a special bonus, Shalom Auslander's introduction is so perfect that I immediately went out to buy his novel. But my bookstore didn't have a copy. Hence making his introduction, about the speed with which funny books go out of print, even more perfect. No matter--they had plenty of Jonathan Franzen. Deep.