Let's talk about Thomas Bernhard

[Set of Keys]

I did a 'Search' for the chap and only two results popped up. Very surprising.

Any thoughts?

I think all of his fiction is worth reading, his plays I haven't read, Gitta Honegger's tedious, wordy biography is perfect for keeping doors open and throwing into the sea.

I'd like to chat about the man.

Anyone else?

[NickAdams]

An applicant left Gargoyles at my job a few months ago and my coworker, who is huge fan of Shaw, took it to read. He gave it to me after a day, because of a rant of a monologue. I haven't read it yet, but I'm interested. What do you think is his finest novel?

[Set of Keys]

"He gave it to me after a day, because of a rant of a monologue".

Do you mean the text was written as a monologue? Partly true. All of his novels I've read reject the tyranny that is CHAPTERS and PARAGRAPHS. So it can appear to read like one unbroken monologue.

It's hard to choose a place to start. I began with 'Concrete'. 'Wittgenstein's Nephew' is more humorous and gets a lot of the plaudits. 'The Lime Works' is stomach-clutch gruelling. 'Gathering Evidence' is his memoir and perhaps my own number one. 'Voice Imitator' seems to be the most available, and is a collection of macabre and obsessive (by turn, hilarious) news-style reports. But there are plenty of others, including short stories and novellas, that are perfect to begin with.

Anyone read his plays?