I got Walking by him and got 10 pages in and it made my head hurt... Not in a "the book is bad" way but in a "I guess I'm a dumbass" way

Why this guy so obsessed with Wittgenstein?

I'm reading Holzfällen now. I've only recently realised how great a reputation Bernhard has outside of Austria. I find it kind of unexpected because, to me, his work seems to rely pretty heavily on being familiar with Austrian / Viennese society and culture (the cultural importance of the Burgtheater, particular streets and neighbourhoods of Vienna, the historical significance of Heldenplatz, etc.). I'd be interested in hearing anyone else's thoughts about any of his works.

>>8036967
i enjoyed it. it made me like glenn gould more even if it was completely fictitious.

>>8037435
Dude was always lauded outside of Austria. I always thought Austria hated him more than the rest of the world since he shits all over Austria in basically every novel.

But yea, I'm pretty much obsessed with Bernhard. He's in my top 3 of all time along with Beckett and Joyce. I have a pretty limited knowledge of Austria but it doesn't hurt my enjoyment of his novels. If anything he's taught me a lot. Extinction is my favorite work, but I've never ran into one I didn't like. Funny thing I've noticed with Bernhard. His fans fucking love everything he does and outsiders have this perception of him as some whiny depressed edgelord.

>>8037479
>His fans fucking love everything he does and outsiders have this perception of him as some whiny depressed edgelord.
I think this contrast is multiplied in Austria. As you say, plenty of people hate him for shitting all over the country; others laud him as the greatest writer they've ever had.

I clearly need to read more of him: I've only read Heldenplatz and (half of) Holzfällen, and while I really enjoy them I don't really see anything there that puts him among the greats. Would you recommend jumping straight into Extinction next, or do you think there's a better place to start? It always seemed to me that all of his work is rated pretty consistently and there doesn't seem to be a single agreed-upon stand-out point.

>>8037628
yeah jump right into it! the only one that i'd recommend saving till you've digested a few is Frost. That's his most difficult i think, and his first. Still great though.

>>8037708
Thanks. Think I'll check out The Lime Works, it sounds interesting and pretty different to what I've read so far.