Suggested Readings: Austria

Clare, George. Last Waltz in Vienna.
A Jewish family history, 1842-1942.

Davenport, Marcia. Mozart.
Read before you go to Salzburg and Vienna.

Day, Ingeborg. Ghost Waltz: A Memoir.
A daughter (now a New Yorker) uncovers, and must come to terms with the activities of her father as an Austrian Nazi in World War II. “An authentic heroine” who got out in June 1938 one step ahead of the Gestapo.

Fremor, Patric Leigh. A Time of Gifts.
An 18 year old's journey from England or Hungary in 1933-34 -- rich view of youthful spirit, places, and cultures.

Gardiner, Muriel. Code Name “Mary”. Memoirs of an American woman in the Austrian underground in the years leading up to World War II. “An authentic heroine” who got out in June 1938 one step ahead of the Gestapo.

Green, Grahame. The Third Man; The Fallen Idol.
Classic thriller set in occupied Vienna.

Meras, Phyllis. The Mermaids of Chenoceaux and 828 Other Stories: An Anecdotal Guide To Europe.
The premise of this browsing book is that it's not guidebook data about what you see in your travels that sticks in your mind, it's the anecdotes that “bring a place to life and fix it in memory.” This is an entire book of “beguiling” anecdotes - Garson Kanin calls it an “outpouring of delight and discovery. I defy anyone to open it and not be held for hours. A treasure.” A book to take along and read with breakfast before the day's itinerary.

Morton, Frederick. A Nervous Splendor: Vienna 1888-89.
Freud -- Mahler -- Arcduck Rudolf -- coffee houses to Mayerling -- in a fascinating popular history.

Wechsberg, Joseph. The Vienna I Knew; Memories of a European Childhood.
Reminiscences by a noted travel and food writer that make his family come alive for the reader, as well as the city and area.

Zweig, Stefan. The Royal Game & Other Stories.
Five novellas by the Viennese master.

 

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Reading List last updated June 3rd, 1999