News

November 25, 2008

We are pleased to be releasing Vienna: A Traveler's Literary Companion.

The always-alluring city of Vienna becomes even more enticing with the release of a new book of short stories compiled specifically for prospective visitors. Vienna: A Traveler’s Literary Companion seduces readers with some of the finest writing set in the city. The fifteen stories collected in the volume include two by Nobel Prize winners, several by well-known Austrian writers, and even a contribution from one-time Vienna resident Franz Kafka.

The neighborhoods of Vienna organize the book, which is a bonus for travelers who want to add to their knowledge of a particular locale. Most readers, however, will find themselves indulging cover-to-cover, simply because the stories are so delightful. It’s likely, for example, that anyone who reads the first story will want to keep on reading. In this tale, “Sightseeing in an Old City,” a group of tourists spend a very long day under the dubious tutelage of a tour guide whose knowledge of the city is spotty at best. Although this selection is filled with wry humor, other stories offer a range of emotions. Where Kafka offers a parable of modern life, renowned writer Arthur Schnitzler (whose work Stanley Kubrick adapted into the movie Eyes Wide Shut) offers a moving tale of an elderly man whose closest friends gather around his deathbed—and learn more secrets than they might care to know.

Whether readers have visited Vienna, plan to visit someday, or simply want to immerse themselves in great storytelling, Vienna: A Traveler’s Literary Companion has much to offer. In the capable hands of experienced writers, the character-filled city becomes a character itself—sometimes charming, sometimes menacing, but always fascinating.

The book is edited by Donald Daviau, professor of Austrian and German Literature at the University of California, Riverside (emeritus), former editor of the scholarly journal Modern Austrian Literature (1974–2000), cofounder and editor of Ariadne Press (1985–1999), and now English editor of the electronic journal TRANS (1995– ). He has authored 21 books and 190 articles on numerous Austrian authors and themes. He was awarded the prestigious Austrian Ehrenkreuz für Kunst und Wissenschaft in 1979. He lives in Riverside, California, when not in Austria.

Upcoming Titles

South Africa (2009)

Argentina (2009)

Brazil (2009)

Turkey (2010)

India (2010)