Summary of Woodcutters
A writer returns to Vienna after 20 years abroad upon learning that an old friend has committed suicide. On the evening of the funeral, he is invited to a dinner party held in honour of an actor of the Burgtheater. “Woodcutters” unfolds through the writer’s sharp observations of the other guests and his reflections on why he despises them all.
Reasons to read Woodcutters
Thomas Bernhard’s novels often have simple plots, but the power of “Woodcutters” lies in its inner monologues and reflections on human relationships, art, and society. Amid the narrator’s biting comments on the other guests—many of them former friends and lovers—occasional remarks of sympathy and appreciation slip out, almost against his own will. Between the lines, the sources of the narrator’s bitterness begin to reveal themselves. “Woodcutters” is an unflinching portrayal of Vienna’s cultural elite: actors, writers, and composers alike. Thomas Bernhard, who received the Georg BĂĽchner Prize in 1970, was known for his contentious relationship with Austrian society. “Woodcutters” is frequently considered as his masterpiece. Although it became a bestseller, it also sparked controversy, leading to a defamation lawsuit by composer Gerhard Lampersberg – a former friend of Bernhard’s – who recognized himself in the novel’s host. Other notable works by Bernhard include “Correction”, “Extinction”, and “Old Masters”.
Setting: Vienna (Austria)
Original title: Holzfällen
Year of publication: 1984
Nr of pages: 192
