She leaves much of the leadership to a sort of hired man who's spell she has fallen under, the charismatic Paul Arnheim. Diotima is political an asset for her husband, but she is known for her propriety not her creativity. Ulrich calls her Diotima for her beauty and chastity. The campaign leadership is given to Ulrich's cousin, the wife of an important mid-level diplomat. The problem with the campaign, other than that the future will make it irrelevant, is that no one is sure what to celebrate.

The competitive idea in Austria is named The Parallel Campaign. As 1918 will also mark the 30th year the reign of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, there is some pressure on Austria to have a better celebration, one of peace. Through a cousin, he gets involved in royal campaign in 1913 that is planning to celebrate the 70th year of the reign of Franz Joseph I in 1918. His main character, a kind of alter-ego, Ulrich, is a mathematician in his 30's with no career prospects. Musil's setting is a satire on the Austro-Hungarian empire before WWI, which he calls Kahkania (This is a play Austro-Hungarian's ruling Habsburg family, known as 'Kaiserlich und Königlich', or Imperial and Royal, abbreviated k. “In 1938, when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany, Musil and his Jewish wife, Martha, left for exile in Switzerland” (Wikipedia)Īn unfinished novel of ideas, considered a kind of under-appreciated classic. Genre/style: novel of ideas theme: Robert MusilĪbout the author: 1880-1942, Austrian, but grew up mainly in Bohemia (then within the Austro-Hungarian empire, now within the Czech Republic).

Translation: from German by Sophie Wilkins, with assistance from Burton Pike (1995)Īcquired: June read: July 28 – Sep 23 time reading: 35:00, 2.9 mpp The Man Without Qualities: A Sort of Introduction Pseudo Reality Prevails (Vol.

The man without qualities vol 2