The Radetzky March: A Novel (Works of Joseph Roth)

...we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime." The subject quote, perhaps apocryphal, is attributed to the British Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Edward Grey, on the eve of World War I. Grey was a harbinger for the immense changes that would be wrought by this conflict; perhaps none were greater than for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, for which the lights would never be lit again, in one lifetime, or an infinity of them. Joseph Roth, who was a Jewish member of that empire, has written an excellent novel depicting life over the last 55 years of its existence, largely using the rise and fall of the Trotta family to accomplish this. During all these years one man, Franz Joseph, ruled over this amalgamation of ethnic groups, and he is depicted throughout. It was the assassination of the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which was the proximate cause to the world conflict. The balance of power between the major European countries, that had maintained the peace on that continent for 100 years, unraveled, as the "logic of war" became the motive force, and the alliances, and, of course, "honor," dragged all the European powers, and America as well, into a savage war that would take the lives of 20 million. Roth has written a beautiful, complex, wryly ironic, and elegiac novel of the A-H Empire in decline. The novel's title is derived from a military band piece written by Johann Strauss to honor Joseph Radetzky, one of Austria's preeminent military heroes, whose long career spanned from the Napoleonic Wars to the Italian wars of Independence. The piece is repeatedly referenced throughout the novel; no doubt a thematic technique which reminds the reader of at least the perceived glory of the Empire with its current tattered state. The novel is structured around four generations of the Trotta family, with the focus being on the last two, since the first two are dispensed with in the first chapter. The Trotta's were of Slovenian peasant origins, and the one of the second generation established the subsequent fortunes by saving the life of the Emperor in the Battle of Solferino in 1859. Henceforth, he is known as the Hero of Solferino. Another ironic touch from Roth: no where in the novel does he indicate that this is a battle that the Austrians lost. "The Hero of Solferino" did have his own private honor, despite the awards that were heaped upon him: he was outraged about the distortions written about his actions that were used in school books, and he resigned from the Army over it. Roth makes a universal observation: "All historic events," said the lawyer, "are rewritten for school use. And to my mind this is proper. Children need examples that they can grasp, that sink in. They can find out the real truth later on." Henceforth the novel concerns the "Hero's" son, who is forbidden by his father from a military career, but is provided a worthy position as a District Commissioner in Moravia, which is now the eastern portion of the Czech Republic. And it is his son, rigidly raised, as was the custom of the time and place, who joins the military, clearly an ill fit for him. The son manages to overcome his rigid upbringing, struggles against, but falls into a dissolute life, involving alcohol, women, and gambling. The women are foils, never depicted in their own right, and are either married and / or, what is today referred to as "cougars," that is, much older women. Numerous scenes are memorable, few more so than one which underscores the rigid social structure of the A-H Empire: the cuckolded sergeant meekly returns the lieutenant's love letters to his wife without a word. Roth's prose can be equally fresh and memorable. Consider: "...powerful forensic baritone it sounded like a gentle zephyr grazing a harp." Or, "And their silence had poured out a dark, dumb hatred, the way pregnant and infinitely silent clouds sometimes pour out the mute electric sultriness of an unspent thunderstorm." I consider this a solid 5-star read for Roth's efforts in showing the A-H Empire in decline, including the various aspects of Franz-Joseph's dementia. Still there were portions that seemed irrelevant, or too lengthy, and the thunderstorm when the telegram is delivered concerning the assassination of the Archduke is dramatically overdone. And his depiction of the women borders on the misogynistic. Consider: "But some women are prohibited by nature itself from telling the truth -- the nature that prevents them from aging. Frau von Taussig may have been too proud to cover up three whole years. But stealing a single wretched year from truth was no theft." There are a number of excellent reviews posted on this book, probably more than on any other than I've seen. I thought the book read quite well, and am in no position to judge the quality of the translation, so those who were, and noted various flaws, well, it was much appreciated. And I see nothing "nostalgic" about the novel, as Coetzee indicates, and gladly settle upon the consensus of the other reviewers that it is "elegiac." I don't think it was great history though, since it lacked that essential "differential diagnosis." Similar books could have been written about the decadence, and class stratifications in England, France, Germany and Russia before the "Great War," but why was it only the A-H Empire that collapsed, whereas the other countries were only "transformed," is never really addressed. Ancient history of a far away place, or parallels with today for America? There is that astonishing waste of resources on non-productive military activity, and a tremendous mis-match of weapons with the real threat to the country. In Roth's novel it's swords and cavalry against machine guns and tanks. Now the reverse seems to be true: nuclear subs and jet fighters against guys with box cutters. And as symbolized in Roth's novel by the drip at the end of Franz Joseph's nose, there is the disconnection between form and the reality of meaningful governance; there are the amazing ways in which the governing class is distracted from the essential issues at hand. Well, at least in America we all speak the same language, more or less. Communicating with it is another matter.

Bottom Line. Joseph Roth’s The Radetzky March is a book that belongs on more lists of the best books of the twentieth century. A historic novel by a man who lived through this period if not these same events. Roth produces some individual narrative passages that should change the mind of anyone thinking that Hemingway’s’ sparse language useful as more than an experiment. There are some problems with discontinuity and some major and unnecessary assumptions, but this is literature, not just writing. While I have reviewed a few classics, The Radetzky March may the first book I call a masterpiece. Joseph Roth as well known in his day as a journalist as he was known as a novelist, represents another and perhaps better voice of the post-World War I Lost Generation. Among the reasons why he may be little known in America is that he was not writing in English and was not well known among the America Ex Pats made famous by Hemingway among others. The story of the Radetzky March begins with a junior Officer serving the Army of the Austro-Hungarian Army. During the course of the Battle of Solferino, Lt. Joseph Trotta heroically saves the life of the then young Emperor Franz Joseph I. For this act he is ennobled, and promoted. Suddenly he is Captain Joseph Trotta Von Sipolje and wears this medal of the Order of Maria Theresa. Thus after one formal visit to the Capital and an pro forma ceremony of investiture, the young man is forever divided from his father, his fellow officers and left to function is a society that is alien to himself. Another man might have made this leap with grace and brought his father along. Joseph is not equal to any of these tasks. Instead he becomes a remote and fearsome family figure as well as father and grandfather to a new titled noble house. The book quickly shifts to the 2nd and 3rd generation of what becomes a titled but not particularly grand household. The son becomes a District Captain. A position of some standing, but only because his is a remote district and the grandson becomes an officer in the Army. Shortly before the founder of this dynasty leaves the narrative there is a brief meeting between the elevated hero and his retired constable sergeant father. The paragraphs that describe the shining, reflectively polished grand uniform of the son and the grubby but functional home of the father includes writing that stands besides anything in the recognized library of classic books. There are a number of passages like it. The bulk of Radestzky’s march is concerned with the Grandson and his father. They are strictly of the older generation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but quickly become aware that this older world is dying. Independently they seem to know in dying these two will be overtaken. As much as I like this book, this aspect was least convincing. My sense was that the Totta family was, in their DNA peasants. Absent the titles, they would have been simple hard working people and as such of little interest to a reader. Their lives are artificially enhanced such that they connot live as simple working people nor to they ever find a way to function as fully integrated members of their force adopted class. That the social structures they were supposed to move in are in early stage collapse is important to the time line of the story but it is not necessary that these two people should have this keen of an insight. Little indicates that they equal amounts of insights on any other topics . There were at least two instances in the novel where the flow of events shifts too abruptly. At one point the District Captain visits his officer son at the son’s remote border town post. This visit ends abruptly when the DC learns of a major threat of social unrest in his District. Shortly thereafter the young Lieutenant becomes involved in a strike by local workers from the bristly factory. This cannot be the unrest that sent the DC home and we never find out any details about it. More important than these small errors was the difficulty in maintaining sympathy for the three Trotta men. The grandfather is not part of the narrative for long enough to b be more than a remote and threatening figure. The Father begins as a boring bureaucrat and gains much in his appeal but the shift is not entirely credible. The son, is something of a miserable person. We are not intended to like him. It will become clear that he is not so much unsympathetic as miscast in the role that has been given him. Most analyze Radetzky March as being about the failure of social structures that have outlasted their era. Instead I suggest that the consistent theme is the alienation between people and their society when they people are expected to perform in roles not of their real nature. Further, for any in these 3 generations to assume the place wherein they would have most naturally performed, they would have had to accept major reductions in their financial and social standing. Most of the literature of the Western world is about promoting yourself or your family and not about the possible victory to be had by returning that promotion. Even where a protagonist achieves heroic status by rejecting promotion it is because the promotion is a bribe or a seduction, not because it makes more sense not have a title or station.

Really enjoyable novel set in the Austrian-Hungarian army prior to WW1

Remarkable book, but really difficult to describe: superficially, it is a deceptively simple tale about three generations of the Trotta family, over the years from 1859 to 1914. The story focuses on a few events in the lives of the characters (mostly the last Trotta), each of which is some sort of milestone in their lives. At the same time there is the creation of a underlying picture of a dark atmosphere of change (for the worse), often not overtly specified at all, but possibly in some gestalt picture of a detail here and another there, till the background becomes the picture itself. Reminded me of "All Quiet on the Western Front" which I read many years ago.

Great book about the decline of the Hapsberg empire. Well worth reading for the writing and if you are interested in this period of history. Not a good edition on Kindle. Pagination all over the place and font size varies between pages.

The author writes with merciless honesty about a world he misses yet knows could not survive its inner rot. What comes across most of all is how little choice the main characters--three generations of one family between 1859 and 1917—had in shaping their lives. All is determined by historical forces and traditional assumptions. While mostly about the inner lives of the characters (viewed from the third person) there are many beautiful descriptions of the varied landscapes of the Austro-Hungarian empire, ranging from Moravia to Bosnia to Galicia (now the western Ukraine). The tone is a unique mixture of the elegiac and the ironic.

I read this not long after reading Anna Karenina, and although the stories of the two books are very different, their effect on me was similar in one very important way: I was entirely absorbed in the two stories from start to finish, I felt as if I knew the characters personally, and continually wanted to know what was going to happen to them next. I have read very few other novels in my life which have had this effect on me, and I am particularly impressed by the abilities of both authors that they are able to write stories that would have this effect on me about historical subjects from a century ago which I would not in other circumstances be greatly interested in, i.e the lives of the Russian aristocracy, and the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Some superficial points in conclusion: Joachim Neugroschel did the translation for the Penguin version of the Roth book. Neugroschel was male. The picture shown here (and on the page here about him) is probably of a lady called Elfriede Jelinek. Also, what is the relevance of the picture on the front cover of the Penguin edition? How does a photograph of a Hungarian count jumping over a bench outside a castle somewhere in Croatia relate to this story? And finally, I found the first half of the introduction to the Penguin edition to be neither useful nor interesting, but the second half (a synopsis of the plot) was far more relevant