Old Masters: A Comedy

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2018
Publisher: Seagull Books London Ltd

Thomas Bernhard's Old Masters: A Wild Satire

The New York Review of Books has hailed Thomas Bernhard's Old Masters as his most enjoyable novel. This captivating work of literature is a wild satire that unfolds almost entirely in front of Tintoretto's White-Bearded Man, a masterpiece on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Within this satirical narrative, two characters, who serve as alter egos for Bernhard himself, engage in an irreverent and sometimes contemptuous takedown of high culture, society, state-supported artists, Heidegger, and numerous other subjects. What sets Old Masters apart is its unique approach, relying more on thought and conversation than action or visual elements. However, celebrated Austrian cartoonist Nicholas Mahler has brought this novel to life in graphic form, resulting in a brilliant interpretation.

This volume showcases Mahler's signature minimalist cartoons alongside newly translated passages from the novel. The result is a version of Old Masters that is both strikingly new and deeply faithful to Bernhard's bleak vision and the outrageous proposition that the perfect work of art is truly unbearable to contemplate, let alone behold. Through Mahler's visual storytelling, readers are transported into the world of Bernhard's satire, experiencing the novel's biting wit and profound insights in a fresh and visually captivating manner.

Weight: 438g
Dimension: 241 x 179 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780857424709