Chapter Claudio Magris e i miti della Grande Austria

Abstract

The vast extension of the Habsburg Empire, as well as its heterogeneous cultural and linguistic composition, were both the causes of its richness and demise. This gave way to a debate on the specific traits of Austrian literature, which in 1963 was enriched by Claudio Magris’ degree thesis, published under the title Il mito absburgico nella letteratura austriaca moderna. Starting from the assumptions of a Lukacian-style historicist critique, the book ended up offering a fascinating evocation of the cultural world of great Austria. Together with his subsequent Germanic and non-fiction works (Lontano da dove, L’anello di Clarisse, Danubio), this debut book forms a "Central European tetralogy".