The Voice Imitator

The Austrian playwright, novelist, and poet Thomas Bernhard (1931-89) is acknowledged as among the major writers of our times.At once pessimistic and exhilarating, Bernhard's work depicts the corruption of the modern world, the dynamics of totalitarianism, and the interplay of reality and appearance. In this stunning translation of The Voice Imitator, Bernhard gives us one of his most darkly comic works.A series of parable-like anecdotes-some drawn from newspaper reports, some from conversation, some from hearsay-this satire is both subtle and acerbic.What initially appear to be quaint little stories inevitably indict the sterility and callousness of modern life, not just in urban centers but everywhere.Bernhard presents an ordinary world careening into absurdity and disaster.Politicians, professionals, tourists, civil servants-the usual victims of Bernhard's inspired misanthropy-succumb one after another to madness, mishap, or suicide.The shortest piece, titled "Mail," illustrates the