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Frost (Bernhard novel)
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Wikipedia article
'Frost' is the first novel by Thomas Bernhard, originally published in German in 1963. An English translation by Michael Hofmann was published in 2006.
Plot summary
Strauch, mad painter, isolates himself from the world by retreating to the hamlet of Weng near Schwarzach im Pongau. His surgeon brother has Strauch watched by his young medical assistant, who narrates the book. The inn where Strauch resides is managed by a woman with a husband in prison and an endless sequence of lovers. The story includes a significant amount of violence and murder.
Narrative style
The character Strauch has a tendency to speak in long, ranting monologues, which characterises all of Bernhards subsequent work. Another element in Bernhards style is repetition: he often repeats phrases with minor variations. As the narrative progresses, the voice of the young narrator increasingly disappears into the voice of Strauch.
References
*[http://bernhardiana.blogspot.com/ 'Bernhardiana', a Critical Anthology of Bernhard's works]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130509094347/http://bostonreview.net/BR27.3/baskin.html "On Thomas Bernhard" by Jason M. Baskin] ('Boston Review', 2001)
*[http://www.thomasbernhard.org/cousineautbintro.shtml "An Introduction to Thomas Bernhard", by Thomas Cousineau] (2001)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=WrWY-SzMmrcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Thomas+Bernhard&lr=&sig=ACfU3U2Ygz384nWnf-7_6pFo0iEPKrLA2A 'The Novels of Thomas Bernhard' by J.J. Long] (2001)
*[http://www.themodernword.com/reviews/bernhard_frost.html 'Frost', a review by Michael Cisco] ('The Modern World', 2007)
Category:1963 novels
Category:Novels by Thomas Bernhard
Category:Novels set in Austria
Category:1963 debut novels
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