The Piano Teacher
Registered by 
perryfran
of Elk Grove, California USA on 2/9/2024
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
perryfran of Elk Grove, California USA on 2/9/2024 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
Received from a PaperbackSwap member in Louisiana.
Erika Kohut, a piano teacher who has lived with her mother all of her life, develops an obsession for Walter Klemmer, her young student.
This is No. 268 on the 1001 books you must read before you die list.
Erika Kohut, a piano teacher who has lived with her mother all of her life, develops an obsession for Walter Klemmer, her young student.
This is No. 268 on the 1001 books you must read before you die list.
Elfriede Jelinek was born in 1946 and is an Austrian playwright and novelist. She is one of the most decorated authors to write in German and was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature for her "musical flow of voices and counter-voices in novels and plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society's clichés and their subjugating power". She is considered to be among the most important living playwrights of the German language.
THE PIANO TEACHER was published in 1983 and was the first of Jelinek's novels to be translated to English. The protagonist of the novel is Erika Kohut, a piano teacher in her 30s who lives with and is devoted to her mother. She is also sexually suppressed and finds pleasure by looking at peep shows and porn films and also by hurting herself using a razor. Then a young student enters her life, Walter Klemmer, who wants to conquer Erika's affection. But Erika's masochistic nature makes this a difficult task. She writes Klemmer a letter detailing a long list of perversity that she wants done to her. This disturbs Klemmer and ultimately ends in violence.
This novel was definitely disturbing and without enjoyment. I read this mainly because it is on the list of "1001 books you must read before you die." But I think I could have lived fine without reading this. I didn't really like the subject matter or the writing style of the novel. It was mainly short descriptive sentences with the use of a lot of metaphors. There was little or no dialog in the writing. And the descriptions bordered on the pornographic. I know Jelinek was making a point about women's sexuality and showing that women as well as men have strong sexual desires and fantasies that may not be attainable but this was a little over the top. I'm not sure if Jelinek received her Nobel Prize based partly on this novel but if so, I really must be missing something.
THE PIANO TEACHER was published in 1983 and was the first of Jelinek's novels to be translated to English. The protagonist of the novel is Erika Kohut, a piano teacher in her 30s who lives with and is devoted to her mother. She is also sexually suppressed and finds pleasure by looking at peep shows and porn films and also by hurting herself using a razor. Then a young student enters her life, Walter Klemmer, who wants to conquer Erika's affection. But Erika's masochistic nature makes this a difficult task. She writes Klemmer a letter detailing a long list of perversity that she wants done to her. This disturbs Klemmer and ultimately ends in violence.
This novel was definitely disturbing and without enjoyment. I read this mainly because it is on the list of "1001 books you must read before you die." But I think I could have lived fine without reading this. I didn't really like the subject matter or the writing style of the novel. It was mainly short descriptive sentences with the use of a lot of metaphors. There was little or no dialog in the writing. And the descriptions bordered on the pornographic. I know Jelinek was making a point about women's sexuality and showing that women as well as men have strong sexual desires and fantasies that may not be attainable but this was a little over the top. I'm not sure if Jelinek received her Nobel Prize based partly on this novel but if so, I really must be missing something.
Culling out some books for Goodwill. Hope someone will enjoy them.
Welcome to BookCrossing!
Please make a journal entry to let me know that this book has been caught so I know that it has found a good home with you. If you are new to BookCrossing, please consider joining and indicate that you were referred by perryfran. I hope that you enjoy the book. You can make another journal entry with your comments when you are done reading.
Then, whenever you are ready to send it on its way, make a release note to show where the book was released. Then watch its journey. You’ll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. And it’s confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.
I hope that you will enjoy the BookCrossing experience!
Please make a journal entry to let me know that this book has been caught so I know that it has found a good home with you. If you are new to BookCrossing, please consider joining and indicate that you were referred by perryfran. I hope that you enjoy the book. You can make another journal entry with your comments when you are done reading.
Then, whenever you are ready to send it on its way, make a release note to show where the book was released. Then watch its journey. You’ll be alerted by e-mail each time someone makes another journal entry. And it’s confidential (you are known only by your screen name and no one is ever given your e-mail address), free, and spam-free.
I hope that you will enjoy the BookCrossing experience!
