The System of Vienna: From Heaven Street to Earth Mound Square

by Gert Jonke

In the morning, the city of Vienna is usually shrouded in a low lying cloud, out of which it slowly unwraps itself with great exertion

- Gert Jonke, The System of Vienna, p 87.

This novella reminded me a bit of Calvino in its terse style and bizarre images. Innocence devolves into disillusion and the paranoid appear in unexpected moments. A book that bears reflection and perhaps ultimately will leave questions unanswered and thoughts unresolved. From stamp collecting to lovemaking the book becomes more fantastic as it spans briefly into nonexistence.

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