THE PLAY OF THE EYES

by Elias Canetti ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 1986

The third volume of the Nobel Prize winner's memoirs, translated from the German, chronicles the years surrounding the publication of his first novel, Auto-da-FÉ. Though the world he describes is exceedingly intellectual--the artistic elite of Vienna in the 20's and 30's--his fine observations and cunning self-analysis infuse the dialectics with humanity. Though autobiography is a constant undercurrent, the book is essentially a series of portraits--sculptor Fritz Wotruba, writer Robert Musil, and many more--and one central portrait dominates the others, that of Canetti's adored mentor, Dr. Sonne. This selfless man of seemingly endless knowledge becomes God, Father, and Prophet for the young writer, never uttering the single disheartening word that could destroy him. It is an incredible, wonderfully depicted bond. Still the playwright, Canetti is artfully self-dramatizing in his biography, as in his traumatic encounter with Buchner's Wozzeck. It is impossible to separate his art and life; even romance becomes a literary pursuit, as Anna Mahler, Gustav's granddaughter, responded to Canetti's love letters more than to him in person. Canetti's observations are strange and original, as when he characterizes the writer Hermann Broch by his breathing, expressing the conceit that he did not devour or observe ideas, but assimilated them as if inhaling atmosphere. His memoirs continue their enlightening path through the 20th century. He describes Auto-da-FÉ as ""graffiti on the walls of a new Pompeii,"" and these retrospective writings, too, take their resonance from the historical catastrophe bearing down upon his world.

Pub Date: June 1, 1986

ISBN: 0374530610

Page Count: -

Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1986

Categories: NONFICTION