Books

Item Description

THE ALWAYS-ALLURING CITY OF VIENNA BECOMES EVEN MORE ENTICING with the release of a new book of short stories compiled specifically for prospective visitors. Vienna: A Traveler’s Literary Companion seduces readers with some of the finest writing set in the city. The fifteen stories collected in the volume include two by Nobel Prize winners, several by well-known Austrian writers, and even a contribution from one-time Vienna resident Franz Kafka.

The neighborhoods of Vienna organize the book, which is a bonus for travelers who want to add to their knowledge of a particular locale. Most readers, however, will find themselves indulging cover-to-cover, simply because the stories are so delightful. It’s likely, for example, that anyone who reads the first story will want to keep on reading. In this tale, “Sightseeing in an Old City,” a group of tourists spend a very long day under the dubious tutelage of a tour guide whose knowledge of the city is spotty at best. Although this selection is filled with wry humor, other stories offer a range of emotions. Where Kafka offers a parable of modern life, renowned writer Arthur Schnitzler (whose work Stanley Kubrick adapted into the movie Eyes Wide Shut) offers a moving tale of an elderly man whose closest friends gather around his deathbed—and learn more secrets than they might care to know.

Whether readers have visited Vienna, plan to visit someday, or simply want to immerse themselves in great storytelling, Vienna: A Traveler’s Literary Companion has much to offer. In the capable hands of experienced writers, the character-filled city becomes a character itself—sometimes charming, sometimes menacing, but always fascinating.

Whereabouts Press is an independent publisher of books that convey a sense of a place—a country, a region, a city—through stories. Unlike guidebooks written by professional travel writers, Travelers Literary Companions feature stories written by literary writers—all of whom are native to the places they write about. They didn’t write specifically for travelers. They wrote because they had good stories to tell. And their stories tell us not just about people, but about the soul of a place.

Item Special Note

The cost of shipping will be added.  BUT -- if you'd like to pick it up instead, just let us know within 24 hours after you've won the item! info@eastbayinnovations.org