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Die Dämonen #1-3
The Demons
A vast documentation of the lives of a large cross section of the population of Vienna in 1927.
1340 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
18 people are currently reading
1431 people want to read
About the author
Heimito von Doderer
61Ìýbooks58ÌýfollowersHeimito von Doderer lebte fast ausschließlich in Wien. 1916 geriet er in russische Gefangenschaft und kehrte erst 1920 zurück. Er studierte Geschichtswissenschaft. Seit der Veröffentlichung seiner Hauptwerke "Die Strudlhofstiege" (1951) und "Die Dämonen" (1956) gilt er als einer der bedeutendsten österreichischen Schriftsteller.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 23, 2020
Having before him
by ,
by and
by as models Heimito von Doderer creates his masterful canvas of the restless twenties of the last century�
The novel is a panoramic view of Vienna society in all its strata� The narration is epical, rich, colourful and full of subtle irony�
According to the narrator, every person has one’s own second reality, a set of one’s light and dark streaks � the world of one’s secret ideals, desires and mysteries that rule one’s life. So the main task of the narrator is to discover these secret facets of surrounding people and to learn their true nature and the motives of their behaviour.
The novel culminates in Vienna Palace of Justice fire on 15 July 1927 when the demonstration against the corruption of justice turns into the unruly and chaotic riot�
We live and make mistakes� “Without stupidity, no life.� This is the prime law of the living.
Even today, in Russia, say, we still see people constantly on the move: carrying bundles by hand, pulling wooden satchels behind them on little wagons or sleds. They roam � are compelled to roam. They are driven. Individual life does not rebel; there is too little of it for rebellion. One soul mingles with another like smoke. For that reason, too, people in those parts are fraternal. Here, as far as the West extends, as far as Rome and Greece reach, a man stands alone between the tended flower beds and the little porticoes of a house from which no one, by law and equity, is entitled to expel him. He stands alone, by himself; the soft blue air is around him; he is unencumbered on all sides, like a statue. This is the only way he knows how to be; only in this way can he be big or little, crooked or straight, good or bad.
The novel is a panoramic view of Vienna society in all its strata� The narration is epical, rich, colourful and full of subtle irony�
In the pattern of our past there repeatedly turns up one incomprehensible strand. Our true past lies in it, wherever we meet it, wherever it happens to crop up. We will never find that strand entwined in the midst of relationships which were once important to us, which make up the obviously significant portions of our life-stories. The true past is always peripheral, I might almost say “marginal� in nature. It is found at the margins of experience. It manifests itself � like another existence which is really ours � through persons whom we have seen for only brief spans of time now and then, or even only once in our lives, at places and in neighborhoods where we never set foot again. At times it almost seems as if we possess a second and as it were retroactive biography.
According to the narrator, every person has one’s own second reality, a set of one’s light and dark streaks � the world of one’s secret ideals, desires and mysteries that rule one’s life. So the main task of the narrator is to discover these secret facets of surrounding people and to learn their true nature and the motives of their behaviour.
The novel culminates in Vienna Palace of Justice fire on 15 July 1927 when the demonstration against the corruption of justice turns into the unruly and chaotic riot�
Metaphors were crashing to the ground, emblems breaking through their false bottoms into reality� The sudden contact with naked reality is fatal. Time-honored lies which play their necessary part in the economy of the psyche cannot suddenly be replaced by truth. Every second reality that is abruptly displaced by first reality leads to death.
We live and make mistakes� “Without stupidity, no life.� This is the prime law of the living.
October 2, 2024
What is this mid 19th century book doing in a mid 20th century publishing list? Joking aside, I was fascinated to learn that this book (there are in fact two volumes to this expansive work exceeding 1300 pages) was actually published in 1955 when it seemed like it could have come out of mid-19th century Russia or along-side contemporary French or British realists/naturalists like Hugo or Dickens. I've read that Doderer started working on the project well before WWII, (and the plot orbits around the events of 1926-1927 Vienna) but to have a book of this ILK emerge in the same decade that Kerouac was writing the scrolls for On the Road is baffling, to say the least.
And yet, what a lovely and sprawling book! Whether or not Doderer was enamored enough with Dostoyevsky to attempt to emulate his craft is beside the point. What resulted from Doderer's captivation with the 19th century literary tradition was a work that is beautifully insightful, delicately observant, socially aware and brilliantly executed. To understand what life was like among an even slice of social classes in a Vienna sandwiched between the two world wars, this book will serve the reader well. It is a Vienna struggling with industrialization, class conflict, capitalism and modernity. Enter the smoke-filled cafes where any number of discussions take place regarding everything from fashion to latin to gossip and scandal. You will come to appreciate Doderer's hand as he describes the diversity of characters that inhabit this intimate community.
Again, the language reminds me of something out of the 19th century tradition. Here are a few examples of Doderer's style (artificially constructed, by me, for effect.):
"He was horrified and astounded at what he had just heard, and he contained his rage by taking another sip from his tea."
"She was happy that she had found someone who shared her love of music and her unique interests, and this realization made him, in some way, unworthy and a bore."
"He was elated and proud that he had reject the offered promotion. After all, to be beholden is to be a slave, he thought to himself, and he walked down the Vienna Gasse with a certain levity. He felt at this time that his shoulders were held a bit higher and that his eyes a bit more narrow with determination and conviction. A moment later a wave of self-disgust overcame him and he was nearly compelled to seek an alleyway where he could relieve himself of his regret."
Hopefully, this short review will help to prepare you for the experience. Oh, yes... and there's a full chapter written in what could be considered pseudo Middle English. This is the translator's device to translate a section of medieval Germanic text to "readable" English. Good luck! I almost threw the book across the room at this point.
And yet, what a lovely and sprawling book! Whether or not Doderer was enamored enough with Dostoyevsky to attempt to emulate his craft is beside the point. What resulted from Doderer's captivation with the 19th century literary tradition was a work that is beautifully insightful, delicately observant, socially aware and brilliantly executed. To understand what life was like among an even slice of social classes in a Vienna sandwiched between the two world wars, this book will serve the reader well. It is a Vienna struggling with industrialization, class conflict, capitalism and modernity. Enter the smoke-filled cafes where any number of discussions take place regarding everything from fashion to latin to gossip and scandal. You will come to appreciate Doderer's hand as he describes the diversity of characters that inhabit this intimate community.
Again, the language reminds me of something out of the 19th century tradition. Here are a few examples of Doderer's style (artificially constructed, by me, for effect.):
"He was horrified and astounded at what he had just heard, and he contained his rage by taking another sip from his tea."
"She was happy that she had found someone who shared her love of music and her unique interests, and this realization made him, in some way, unworthy and a bore."
"He was elated and proud that he had reject the offered promotion. After all, to be beholden is to be a slave, he thought to himself, and he walked down the Vienna Gasse with a certain levity. He felt at this time that his shoulders were held a bit higher and that his eyes a bit more narrow with determination and conviction. A moment later a wave of self-disgust overcame him and he was nearly compelled to seek an alleyway where he could relieve himself of his regret."
Hopefully, this short review will help to prepare you for the experience. Oh, yes... and there's a full chapter written in what could be considered pseudo Middle English. This is the translator's device to translate a section of medieval Germanic text to "readable" English. Good luck! I almost threw the book across the room at this point.
January 10, 2025
Ich würde lügen, wenn ich behauptete, dass ich mich nicht stellenweise ein wenig durch dieses Buch kämpfen musste. Doderers Sprache ist genial und ich wollte mich in manche Formulierungen hineinlegen so toll fand ich sie, aber sie erfordert auch viel Aufmerksamkeit. Und fast 1400 Seiten Text in Kleindruckschrift sind viel, auch für meine nicht mehr ganz so jungen Augen. Dennoch, dieses Buch belohnt so unglaublich. Gespickt mit wunderbar lakonischem Humor gelingt es dem Autor alle Figuren und Handlungsstränge am Schluß zu einem Ganzen zusammen laufen zu lassen und trotz aller unmöglichen Zufälle wirkt die Geschichte nie konstruiert. Klar, wir haben es hier mit einem Roman zu tun, der Mitte der 1950er erschienen ist und in den 1920ern spielt, manche Formulierungen sind also im Kontext der Zeit zu lesen. Ich empfand das Buch aber auf vielen Ebenen durchaus auch modern.
Es war ja eines der absoluten Lieblingsbücher meines verstorbenen Vaters und er hat’s über die Jahre immer wieder gelesen. Ich kann’s verstehen, es muss sich angefühlt haben wie nach Hause kommen, hat man doch am Ende des Buches das Gefühl mit den Protagonist*innen eine Gruppe an neuen Freunden gewonnen zu haben.
Es war ja eines der absoluten Lieblingsbücher meines verstorbenen Vaters und er hat’s über die Jahre immer wieder gelesen. Ich kann’s verstehen, es muss sich angefühlt haben wie nach Hause kommen, hat man doch am Ende des Buches das Gefühl mit den Protagonist*innen eine Gruppe an neuen Freunden gewonnen zu haben.
July 8, 2018
This was a hard one to review since it completely captivated me and (to use a favourite phrase) felt more like a book to ‘live within�. So, this will be composed of what I could salvage from my notes; mainly a summary of what’s offered and how I felt about it.
For me, The Demons was something above the scope of a typical novel and yet seemingly composed of a perfectly toned set of short stories. The Demons, which at its core constructs a view into the lives and relationships of people, and the atmosphere in the city of Vienna leading up to the July Revolt of 1927, reads like a vast spider’s web of persons and events, all collected into the manuscript presented to the reader (composed by a few of the characters), in which discovery of intersections between the strands drives the reader forward with less a sense of overall plot conclusion than a sense of adventure and real immersion.
Amongst tales that drag you into the city (so much so you forget you’re reading a novel) detailing the happenings of a given day for a given person, you will also be faced with inserted found documents, philosophical explorations and dream diaries that each build upon the main structure of the novel and serve their purpose of tying together the diverse cast of individuals to map a trail of happenings that erupts on 15th July with the burning of the Palace of Justice.
On top of this tale-based structure, Doderer uses the concept of a novel being written by an in-novel character as a welcoming strength. Each chronicled moment is often sprinkled with author’s (the character Geyrenhoff in this case) interjections that point out a detail in the text or add very personal narration which makes the novel more approachable and uplifting than its subject matter would imply.
With this, there’s a finely weighed balance of amusing insights into the upper classes; such as Ladies� meetings to discuss contemporary fashion (in which there’s always some going behind each other’s backs) and various spontaneous gatherings of people ending in drinks and car rides through Vienna; and encyclopaedic, world building explorations; notably a whole section dedicated to the history of an inherited castle, it’s defences and a found medieval manuscript that plays an important role in the later part of the novel.
This doesn’t feel as heavy, slow and daunting as a 1300-page novel would have you imagine. Instead, what you get is an easily readable and approachable translation which doesn’t feel as if any of the authenticity was sacrificed. A smooth and sprawling novel that is worth the read if you want Modernism in its finest (and possibly most transitionary) mode, and something that you can let completely take you in.
For me, The Demons was something above the scope of a typical novel and yet seemingly composed of a perfectly toned set of short stories. The Demons, which at its core constructs a view into the lives and relationships of people, and the atmosphere in the city of Vienna leading up to the July Revolt of 1927, reads like a vast spider’s web of persons and events, all collected into the manuscript presented to the reader (composed by a few of the characters), in which discovery of intersections between the strands drives the reader forward with less a sense of overall plot conclusion than a sense of adventure and real immersion.
Amongst tales that drag you into the city (so much so you forget you’re reading a novel) detailing the happenings of a given day for a given person, you will also be faced with inserted found documents, philosophical explorations and dream diaries that each build upon the main structure of the novel and serve their purpose of tying together the diverse cast of individuals to map a trail of happenings that erupts on 15th July with the burning of the Palace of Justice.
On top of this tale-based structure, Doderer uses the concept of a novel being written by an in-novel character as a welcoming strength. Each chronicled moment is often sprinkled with author’s (the character Geyrenhoff in this case) interjections that point out a detail in the text or add very personal narration which makes the novel more approachable and uplifting than its subject matter would imply.
With this, there’s a finely weighed balance of amusing insights into the upper classes; such as Ladies� meetings to discuss contemporary fashion (in which there’s always some going behind each other’s backs) and various spontaneous gatherings of people ending in drinks and car rides through Vienna; and encyclopaedic, world building explorations; notably a whole section dedicated to the history of an inherited castle, it’s defences and a found medieval manuscript that plays an important role in the later part of the novel.
This doesn’t feel as heavy, slow and daunting as a 1300-page novel would have you imagine. Instead, what you get is an easily readable and approachable translation which doesn’t feel as if any of the authenticity was sacrificed. A smooth and sprawling novel that is worth the read if you want Modernism in its finest (and possibly most transitionary) mode, and something that you can let completely take you in.
January 9, 2021
Descomunal novela con más de 100 personajes (imprescindible hacerte un guion/listado para no perderte) que se mezclan constantemente. Retrato de la sociedad vienesa de principios del siglo XX; retrato desde distintes capas sociales. Más de 1600 páginas. RÃete de El Quijote. Envolvente, a ratos pesada, pero sin duda inolvidable. Quizás menos hubiera sido más.
April 23, 2013
das epizentrum des umfangreichen romans ist der brand des justizpalastes in wien im jahre 1927, auf dieses ereignis zusteuernd, aus den unterschiedlichsten perspektiven, die mittels sehr stark kontrastierender sozialer ebenen geschildert werden. die struktur des buches orientiert sich an einer imaginären chronik, die ein ehemaliger sektionsrat (geyrenhoff) nach seiner pensionierung anlegt, um ereignisse in seiner umgebung festzuhalten. unterstützt wird er dabei von einigen der anderen protagonisten des romans. es gelingt doderer auf erstaunliche art und weise, die unterschiedlichen autoren mit wenigen worten und anmerkungen kenntlich zu machen. im großen und ganzen ist aber der roman kein politischer roman, und auch die bezeichnung "stadt-roman" trifft den kern des buches nicht - da sich in diesem epischen werke vielleicht die ergreifendsten naturschilderungen deutscher sprache finden, die jemals zu papier gebracht worden sind. wesentlich an dem buch ist jedenfalls die tiefe menschliche kraft, die die protagonisten in einem unweigerlichen sog aufeinander zu - oder auch voneinander weg - bewegt. die kraft des lebens selbst ist zu spüren.
ein lebensroman, eine wahre krone im werke doderers.
ein lebensroman, eine wahre krone im werke doderers.
Want to read
September 15, 2016Just ordered an ~$50 two-volume hardcover copy of this in "new" condition -- looks like I know what I'll be reading from Nov 1 to Jan 1.
August 13, 2016
The Demons is a novel of social realism that harks back to the nineteenth century even though it was written, in its current version (the first volume was originally written in the thirties), after the Second World War. In its story we find a compelling account of the city of Vienna and the elite society of that city as it is coming apart in the aftermath of the Great War. Through it all is a critique of ideology and also brief passages of wisdom.
June 23, 2008
brutaler letzter satz, der, wo der erzähler meint, es wär wohl so, dass man die charaktere nie mehr wiedersieht; wenn man
nach fast 1400 (eigentlich plus die fast 800 von der strudlhofstiege) von herzen bedauert, dass man das buch fertig gelesen hat, sagt das wohl einiges aus!
nach fast 1400 (eigentlich plus die fast 800 von der strudlhofstiege) von herzen bedauert, dass man das buch fertig gelesen hat, sagt das wohl einiges aus!
tasted
May 27, 2020I’m glad I tasted this novel, which I’ve been wanting to read ever since the translators' daughter told me about the translation when I interviewed her for my (now free) book . It’s an entertaining novel, very well translated, with a first-person narrator with interesting views and a series of characters that keeps the reader hopping even when nothing is happening. But after 100 pages I realized I was never going to make it close to the end of the novel’s 1,300 pages, because the milieu didn’t interest me at all. All the novel’s good points couldn’t overcome this for me.
From the book, here's a piece of what Krishna Winston (herself an excellent literary translator from German to English) told me about the novel's translation:
“What I particularly remember was a later time, when I was already a young teenager, when my parents were translating the Austrian writer Heimito von Doderer̓s novel The Demons, and there was a long section in that book which was written in pseudo-medieval German. So my parents were reading up to try to find some equivalent English diction, and for some reason they lit on William Caxton, and they had the whole family talking in Caxton̓s English. We all developed roles. We were monks, and I think I was Brother Sebastian and my sister was Brother Ambrose. We used to just go for hours talking in this tongue. And it went on for quite a while, because the chapter was a long one and my father struggled with it. I suppose that with influences like this, one inevitably starts to think, well, this is something I would enjoy doing, too."
From the book, here's a piece of what Krishna Winston (herself an excellent literary translator from German to English) told me about the novel's translation:
“What I particularly remember was a later time, when I was already a young teenager, when my parents were translating the Austrian writer Heimito von Doderer̓s novel The Demons, and there was a long section in that book which was written in pseudo-medieval German. So my parents were reading up to try to find some equivalent English diction, and for some reason they lit on William Caxton, and they had the whole family talking in Caxton̓s English. We all developed roles. We were monks, and I think I was Brother Sebastian and my sister was Brother Ambrose. We used to just go for hours talking in this tongue. And it went on for quite a while, because the chapter was a long one and my father struggled with it. I suppose that with influences like this, one inevitably starts to think, well, this is something I would enjoy doing, too."
September 9, 2024
Meine zweite Wirklichkeit, Doderers Wien <3
August 9, 2017
Doderer erzählt in diesem Roman die Zeit um 1920 in Wien mit dem Brand des Justizpalastes am 15. Juli 1927 im Schlusskapitel. Er vermischt tatsächlich Ereignetes mit fiktivem Geschehen. Das alles in einem fantastisch miteinander verwobenen Konstrukt. Doderer kann mit wenigen Wörtern Menschen zeichnen samt Charakterzügen und Kleidung wie wenige Autoren. Allein' schon daraus ergeben sich vergnügliche Lesestunden. Rolf Vollmann schreibt in seinem Roman-Navigator: "(...) dann las man Doderer nicht, er war nicht koscher, man berührte ihn besser nicht, diesen verklemmten halben Sadisten und politisch ekligen Mitmacher. Bestenfalls Musil durfte sein, Roth war en vogue. Viel später, unlängst erst, merkte man, daß man sich um eine der besten Lektüren jener Jahre gebracht hatte (...) Wer vom Roman die schnelle Übersichtlichkeit verlangt, die er im Leben gern hätte, gerät ganz leicht unter die Ideologen, vor denen ihn das Lesen bewahren könnte, wenn er es aus den Romanen kennte. Nun ja; Doderer Dämonen also!"
Der Text fordert in seiner Komplexität, seinem Personenreichtum und Sprachfertigkeit (incl. "alter" Fremdwörter) den Leser sehr heraus - und belohnt ihn aber auch zugleich. Kein ganz einfaches Buch, aber ein schönes, wenn man sich darin eingerichtet hat. Ich werde meine Doderer Lektüre fortsetzen.
Der Text fordert in seiner Komplexität, seinem Personenreichtum und Sprachfertigkeit (incl. "alter" Fremdwörter) den Leser sehr heraus - und belohnt ihn aber auch zugleich. Kein ganz einfaches Buch, aber ein schönes, wenn man sich darin eingerichtet hat. Ich werde meine Doderer Lektüre fortsetzen.
January 30, 2016
At least as long as War and Peace, longer than Magic Mountain and Ulysses, probably a bit shorter than Man Without Qualities, a swirling narrative of Vienna in the 1920s and the life of a few dozen characters whose paths continually cross and recross.
April 17, 2025
Hey, I read it! I may have been a bit less captivated than by the Strudlhof Steps, but that may be because of a certain centerlessness, which seems intentional, so I dunno. Regardless, I was glad to see of Stangeler, Quapp, Mary K, Leonhard, et al. Another thing worth noting is that, although it initially seems like a very standard sort of bourgeois novel, it also has a surprising degree of metatexuality. Please ponder the meaning of the medieval manuscript featuring a character name "Heimo."
December 23, 2023
Una gran novela, de las mejores de este mes
Read
March 4, 2017i was bored.
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