Monography: The Austrian writer Fritz Habeck

Fritz Habeck (1916 - 1997) is one of the few serious existentialsts of Austrian literature after 1945, which he influenced substantially. Nevertheless his life and work was ignored by literary history. This is remarkable, because Habecks work is an unique document for the era of "Österreichische Wiederaufbau" after world war II. - e.g. his novel "Der Ritt auf dem Tiger", which was enthusiastically reviewed as "the Austrian Buddenbrocks". Habecks life and work is a paradigm for all unsettled contradictions of Austrian postwar-time: On the one hand he represented the intellectual atmosphere of Austrian postwar cultural and educational policy, which was determined by conservative values, on the other hand the influence of French existentialism in his work is clearly perceptible. Habeck is part of the so called realistic tradition in Austrian literature, which the experimental avant-garde literature of the sixties tried to overcome. Between these positions Habecks work is of exceptional interest, because Habeck refused to propagate the traditional values, which were forced by the contemporary zeitgeist. The influence of Ernest Hemingway on Austrian literature of the fifties is still unexplored. The description of Habecks lifelong intellectual relation to Hemingway and the consequences for Habecks life and work will be an opportunity to clearify this field of research. The author said about the importance of Hemingways dead: "It was as if a brother had died." Aim of the project is a Fritz Habeck monograph. Primary interest is the description of the historical social-cultural contexts of Habecks life as a writer, which was linked with all eras of recent Austrian history. Fritz Habeck stands in the center of historical ("Wiederaufbau", "Vergangenheitsbewältigung"), of literary (realism versus avant-garde) and of philosophical (discussion of values, existentialism) questions. The study combines the scientific disciplines mentioned above. Deficits of research in Austrian history, literature and mentality will be worked off.

Fritz Habeck (1916 - 1997) is as a writer strongly influenced by his childhood and youth in the Austrian "Ständestaat", the experience of the national socialistic dictatorship made him devoted to socialistic ideas, besides he was influenced lifelong by his father Karl, who was a confessing social democrat, well known within the austro- fascistic regime as "the red judge". Habeck wrote 36 novels, the best known titles are "Der Scholar vom linken Galgen" (1941) about Francois Villon, the anti-war novel "Das Boot kommt nach Mitternacht" (1951) and the novel "Der Ritt auf dem Tiger" (1958), which was praised by the critics as "the Austrian Buddenbrocks" and which is regarded as his most important work. Change and decline of values, family as a form of life, war as the ultimate catastrophe, history as a way of finding sense of life in the presence, the interaction with his pen friend Ernest Hemingway and with the more legendary than historic figure of the poet, rebel and goliard Francois Villon (1431 - 1463) are the themes of Habeck`s life as a writer. Whereas in the early historic novels the influence of French existentialistic philosophy (Camus, Sartre) is in evidence - as an attempt to establish an alternative concept to the nihilistic trends caused by the post-war trauma of the fifties - Habeck`s existentialism later is influenced by Sören Kierkegaard`s most important work "Entweder - Oder". Habeck also develops in his big, dialogic structured existentialistic novels competing life-concepts. These texts are dealing with complex reality, Habeck is only interested in finding "the truth" and the duty to fight against zeitgeist and the loss of historical consciousness. In opposition to the young generation of avant-garde writers Habeck believed in the changeability of the world by his writings. Habeck`s work in general achieves its actuality and validity by its paradigmatic character regarding to its status as so called "realistic" literature and by the tension between realistic methods and the mechanisms of the literary market.