Lost in the Stacks: Marion Alive

I always find the most interesting books when I happen to be looking for something else.  This time around I was searching for a particular book by Heinrich Böll, and skimming the spines I came across a row of books by Austrian writer, Vicki Baum.  Her book Grand Hotel was one of the book chosen for my last postal reading group round.  Unfortunately it was also one of only a very few books that I wasn't able to read, though I have always meant to go back and find a copy to read later.  My library has the original German version, Menschen im Hotel, but that won't do me much good.  Perhaps I can redeem myself by reading one of her other works (and she has quite an extensive list of books to her name).   

Vicki Baum was born in Vienna, though she eventually emigrated to the United States.  She was married twice and during the First World War was a nurse.  She had a varied career as she begin as a harpist and later worked as a journalist, then taking to writing.  She was quite successful and a number of her books were adapted to film, including the famous Grand Hotel.  Her early books were written in German and translated into English, but she wrote her later books in English.  From what I've read her books were bestsellers, very popular as entertaining reads though perhaps never quite achieved high literary status.  Middlebrow fiction?  Probably most of what I read is middlebrow, so I'm very interested in reading something by her.

My library has more than a dozen books by her, most of them being German editions, but I did find one in English that sounds very appealing, Marion Alive.  It was published in 1942 and chronicles the life of one ordinary woman from the turn of the century to the present (early 1940s) day.  Some kind cataloger cut the blurb from the dust jacket and pasted it into the back inside cover, so I can get a glimpse of the story.  Marion Sommer is one of Baum's "most brilliantly realized characters".  

"Utterly human, independent, spirited and humorous, her main belief is that it is fun to be alive whatever may happen.  Marion Alive is a remarkable story of a woman's spiritual, intellectual and emotional development; more than that it is a superb picture of pre-war Vienna, or Germany during and after the World war, when the seeds of Nazism were already sprouting, and of the terrible world cataclysm which has climaxed Adolf Hitler's bid for world conquest."

Since Vienna is one of my very favorite places, I'm particular interested in this story for how she will portray it before the war.  It's a longish novel with close to 600 pages, so I am not likely to get to it anytime soon (though what better time than this month as I am reading other German authors).  I did dip into it just a little bit and it looks like the story opens in 1940 with the collapse of France then moves quickly back into Marion's childhood.  Here's a little taste:

"All I see when I think of Vienna are plumes of Persian lilac in every shade from white to deep purple.  And chestnut trees.  There were chestnut trees everywhere, clumps of them in the public parks, avenues of them, groups of chestnut trees in all dreamy old gardens behind the baroque houses of the nobility and a sea of chestnut trees in the Prater.  Everything was very big and tall and wonderful in Vienna when I was a child.  Later on it began to shrink and to choke me, so that I had to go away from that dying town.  And when I went there for a visit many years later, I was just another American tourist, Mrs. John W. Sprague, who shocked the hotel porter by understanding when he swore in German; and the streets looked dark and narrow, and everything was cramped and crowded, and the elegant big house where we had lived had become small and shabby."

Comments

[Lisa]

This sounds really interesting. I've never heard of this author, and neither of our library systems (city/county) has any of her books, but I see them available on ILL.

[bibliolathas]

Grand Hotel is excellent but another one I read - Once in Vienna - was pretty awful. I would like to try again with Baum, but I'm going to avoid any about temperamental opera-singers. Grand Hotel review: http://bookforgetter.blogspot.com/2010/07/review-grand-hotel.html

[Claire (The Captive Reader)]

I am definitely intrigued. I may not have fallen in love with Vienna on my first visit there this year but it remains one of my favourite places to read about. And how to resist an author who was also a harpist?

[Danielle]

Lisa--I had not heard of her before her book Grand Hotel was chosen for a reading group I was in. I had sort of forgotten about her until I came across her books in the library, but she does sound good. I think there must be quite a few copies of her books floating around out there since she was so popular.
Bibliolathas--I think Grand Hotel must be her most famous book? Too bad about Once in Vienna--the Vienna part sounds interesting to me--but maybe not so much temperamental opera singers! ;) Thanks for the link--I'll check it out!
Claire--I need to go back and read your posts on your trip--I looked at the photos in Google Reader, but need to read the commentary. I loved Vienna and was lucky to live outside of Vienna for a year after I graduated from college. I am always on the look out for books on Vienna! Isn't it interesting that she was a harpist?!

[Caroline]

I have not read her yet but got Grand Hotel and her novel on Bali which was recommended during a course on Bali when I studied cultural anthropology. The professor told us that it was an absolutely wonderful introduction to Balinese culture. In German it's called Liebe und Tod auf Bali.

[litlove]

I have this image now of your library as a real Aladdin's cave of literature, heaps of books sparkling in corners, stacks and stacks full of hidden gems! I have never heard of this author before but she sounds very intriguing. I will see if Grand Hotel is available in the UK!

[BuriedInPrint]

I haven't read any of her works, but I do love these random finds that you share with us. This one would have caught my eye too.

[Kathleen]

I would love to read this book and this author. My son and I watched the Grand Hotel for our Film School project and we both loved it.

[Danielle]

Caroline--I was wondering if you had read her or not. I saw that she had written some unusual books--like the one in Bali, which sounds like such an exotic place. Again my library has that one, but only in German. I don't think I'll manage to squeeze this one in this month, though it would be perfect timing, but it is too long I think.
BuriedInPrint--Oh, to be able to read every book that appeals to me that I find on my library's shelves! I've got quite an extensive list going, I must say.
Kathleen--I really should watch the movie, if nothing else. I saw the trailer for it, and it looks entertaining. How fun that you saw it for a film school class--I'd love to study films someday.
Litlove--I really should try and take a photo of my favorite area in the library, so everyone can see just where I am finding my books! It really is a veritable treasure trove up on third floor. Vicki Baum was also new to me, but it sounds like she was very popular when she was writing.

[Stefanie]

I don't think I have heard of Baum before. The bit you shared from Marion Alive has caught my interest though. Such potential in an opening like that!

[Danielle]

Stefanie--Oh those opening lines always get me. I'm hooked very easily sometimes--can you tell? :)