A Common Reader

From Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated and edited by Michael Hofmann. The last few years of Roth’s life saw many of the same themes as already posted, and some extended thoughts on these subjects: • A lot of talk of politics and how many, especially “those who embodied the ‘word’s conscience’ were themselves […]

From Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated and edited by Michael Hofmann. Once again I provide too many excerpts, but I’m finding Roth a fascinating figure. The uprising by the Social Democrats in Austria (12 February 1934) and the resulting Dollfuss dictatorship discourages Roth in a manner more than he had been in previous […]

From Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated and edited by Michael Hofmann. I’m including too many excerpts from this year but it seems to mark a clear change in Roth, or perhaps an acceleration in his downward spiral tied to his despair. He was perceptive on the dangers Nazism posed for Germany and Europe. […]

From Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated and edited by Michael Hofmann. The letters from this period covers much of the same material as in the previous post. During this period he wrote The Radetzky March, although how he did so in his circumstance is amazing—taking care of his sick wife, scrambling for money, […]

From Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated and edited by Michael Hofmann. Michael Hoffman makes the observation that Roth “in those days was like an open knife, a mixture of prophet, revolutionary, and sociopath”. The bluntness he exhibits with his friends shows an honesty that often wanders into just being a jerk. Major topics […]

I finally had some time to start Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters, translated and edited by Michael Hofmann. The young Roth sounds so…so…young, something that doesn’t come through in any of his work I’ve read so far. I’ll quote from some of his letters as they strike me, even if they are as inconsequential […]

I know what I’ll be leafing through at work today. I’m sure I’ll be posting some excerpts over the next week. If you’re interested in Roth, be sure to check out the book excerpt at The New Yorker, which includes ten letters from the book. Paul Raymont at Philosophy, lit, etc. has more links at […]