Frost (Bernhard novel)

Frost

First edition (German)
Author	Thomas Bernhard
Translator	Michael Hofmann
Language	German
Genre	Novel
Publisher	Vintage Books USA
Publication date	1963
Publication place	Austria
Published in English	2006
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	352 pp
ISBN	978-1-4000-3351-5 (Reprint edition 2008)
OCLC	180014416

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 Bernhard’s subsequent work. Another element in Bernhard’s 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

• Bernhardiana, a Critical Anthology of Bernhard's works
• "On Thomas Bernhard" by Jason M. Baskin (Boston Review, 2001)
• "An Introduction to Thomas Bernhard", by Thomas Cousineau (2001)
• The Novels of Thomas Bernhard by J.J. Long (2001)
• Frost, a review by Michael Cisco (The Modern World, 2007)

This page was last edited on 6 June 2024, at 18:05