Summary of Malina
“Malina” tells the story of a female writer in Vienna grappling with herself and confronting demons from her past in a male-dominated world. The narrator seeks love and happiness with Ivan, a Hungarian man. She shares an apartment with Malina, a historian who supports her through tough times, though she cannot reciprocate his feelings.
Reasons to read Malina
Ingeborg Bachmann intended this novel to be the first part of a cycle of novels exploring the dilemmas and experiences of contemporary women in Vienna. Tragically, she passed away just two years after its publication at the age of 47, and “Malina” remained the only completed novel of the series. After her death, Bachmann gained recognition among feminist readers and is celebrated as one of the three great Austrian female writers of the twentieth century alongside Elfriede Jelinek and Marlen Haushofer. She was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 1964. The Ingeborg Bachmann Prize, a major Austrian literature award, is named in her honour.
Setting: Vienna (Austria)
The protagonist lives close to Vienna Stadtpark in Ungargasse 6, while her lover, Ivan, lives across the street in Ungargasse 9.
Original title: Malina
Year of publication: 1971
Nr of pages: 283
