Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften

Von Robert Musil

In diesem gewaltigen Meisterwerk, das viele auch mit Joyces "Ulysses" oder Prousts "Auf der Suche nach der verlorenen Zeit" vergleichen, passiert oberflächlich wenig. Die Protagonisten verlieren sich in ihren Gedanken und Emotionen.
"Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften" ist ein ironischer, aber auch ein humanistisch-utopischer Roman. Über 2000 Seiten umfasste Musils letztlich unvollendet gebliebene Geschichte, nachdem sich der Berliner Rowohlt-Verlag weigerte, weitere Bände zu bezahlen. Daher liegen Teile des dritten und vierten Teils nur fragmentarisch vor - sie entstammen dem Nachlass.
"Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften" ist eine sperrige Lektüre, die sich dem Leser nur schwer erschließt.
Der titelgebende "Held" Ulrich, ein Mann mit allen Möglichkeiten aber ohne Heimat; gebildet, jung, gesund, aber nicht fähig, sich festzulegen, weder beruflich noch menschlich, er bleibt ein Mann ohne Konturen, eben ohne Eigenschaften.
Robert Rudolf Matthias Edler von Musil wurde am 6. November 1880 in Klagenfurt, Österreich geboren und starb am 15. April 1942 in Genf. Er war ein österreichischer Schriftsteller und Theaterkritiker.
1. Auflage (Überarbeitete Fassung)
Umfang: 2191 Buchseiten
Null Papier Verlag

• Sprache: Deutsch
• Herausgeber: Null Papier Verlag
• Erscheinungsdatum: 18. Apr. 2014
• ISBN: 9783954182893

Robert Musil

Robert Musil (1880 - 1942) was an Austrian writer. Trained as an engineer, Musil eventually turned to literature. The unfinished Man Without Qualities is considered his greatest work, and earned him a Nobel Prize nomination.

Rezensionen für Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften

[hadriantheblind · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

The quintessential 'ideas' novel, where twenty page long discourses on the meaning of love can happen after 'I love you'. It's thick and interlaced with meaning, and it works just fine that way.

This edition had several hundred pages of notes and earlier drafts, which were also fascinating.

[ballardion · Bewertung: 5 von 5 Sternen]

By far, the best book I have read in the last ten years. The long-ish preamble is actually quite literarily hypnotic. I don't mind the slow pace of the book, but those interested in the brisk read should give this one a pass.

[aarhusian · Bewertung: 4 von 5 Sternen]

"Into the Millennium" continues the story of the ill-fated Collateral Campaign being prepared to celebrate the 70th year of Emperor Franz Joseph's K.-und-K. reign, the tiresome lovers behind this Viennese abomination, the debate over the fate of the convicted sex murderer Moosbrugger etc, while introducing a new story of the reunion of the hero Ulrich and his twin sister Agathe. The consummate Viennese siblings fall deeply in love with their other, better halves, a relationship which frees them from their contemporaries to live in an insular world of suspended action. With Volume II, the fate of the novel surpasses the fate of its contents. Included is Burton Pike's translation of alternative text, some of which Musil withdrew in galleys, and related drafts, comprising more than 700 pages. The Viennese bookseller who sold me the Volume thought it was clear why Musil could never finish his masterpiece: "He was completely lost." Rather, Musil's interest in tying up the plot lines falls victim to his experimental, philosophical method. The novel becomes more theoretical and probing as it progresses. One senses Musil is concentrating more on the underlying motives of his characters and using them to experiment on his own understanding of human nature, and less on contriving a story which can be communicated to his readers. The dénouement of the incest theme, so prominent a part of "Into the Millennium", remains out of reach. After having explored it from every conceivable angle, Musil doesn't pursue the darker outcomes. Ultimately, Musil's interests are not gothic or romantic, but spiritual, experimental and determinedly open-ended. Suspension provides a fitting conclusion to his magnum opus.