Wilhelmine (Minna) Kautsky – „Energy Awakening“

Minna Kautsky (1837 – 1912) was born in Graz and moved with her parents to Prague. She only gets one year of school education. But with the help of her father and well filled book shelves she can accomplish a kind of a private study. Her reading comprises theatre plays too and she develops a passion for the theatre. Minna becomes an actress. Marriage being 16, theatre engagements in Bohemia, Moravia and Germany, in-between children. Her first child is the “later leading theorizer of Marxism” Karl Kautsky. She cannot keep up such a demanding life for long, she collapses and gets a severe lung disease. Has to give up her theatre life being only 24. 1863 she moves with her husband and their children to Vienna. Her husband has got a position at the Hofburgtheater (imperial court theatre) as set painter.

During her illness she proceeds with her self study among others with reading Darwin. Finally she can learn – together with her children. The disease will remain to a certain extent forever but Karl’s enthusiasm gets transferred to Minna. She feels “young again, with inner power and a strong will.” [1] “And at my side I saw the young man who did only concentrate on how he could understand the theories of the great Master [Marx] profoundly; how he could develop himself and others to fighters for the right mission. He should not have had an impact on his mother? It was the beginning of an wonderful time, energy awakening, the life had beauty and a meaning [...]. I started to write, I had something to say.” [2]

Aglaia von Enderes – A singing lark doesn’t bring the summer?

„Some inches below the green grass mother made him a bed; the brown furrow slice is his blanket, fine roots are hanging everywhere, his future food. Deep silence and peace around him; the sun lays her hot beams across the soil, warm damp breath swells through the ground. Four to six weeks pass, then something is moving and stirring in the egg and a tiny clumsy grub is crawling out of it.” (Maikäfers Leben und Sterben – May Beetle’s Life and Death [1])

„An egoist with an unfriendly apart character, ponderous appearance and high self-sufficiency. He lives like a hermit and selfish as an old confirmed bachelor does and takes care of his own belly.” (Der Dachs – The Bauson [1])

Thomas Bernhard – The most Austrian Car

„Ok, transitory is good as well. There is nothing more dreadful than everlasting things. And I don’t want that anything connect to me remains at all. No I am not interested; only it could happen to my personal belongings.“ Thomas Bernhard (1931 – 1989) (Content summary in English by me)

An expensive “Christmas” exhibition glitters & shines in the Technical Museum Vienna, silvery and with noble colours. Contrary to other Christmas classics men visit the exhibition without the family. A family would only disturb him enjoying these luxury creatures in the exhibition: „Chromjuwelen – Autos mit Geschichte“ (Kings of Chrome – Cars with History).

Amidst wealth and “sport” you can find an unsophisticated Mercedes, fir-tree green down to the hub caps, disregarded by most of the visitors. One of Thomas Bernhard’s cars – no king of chrome. How could it get entry into the exhibition? Perhaps like this: Most of these car stories are exciting. Many of these car stories illustrate destiny. None of these cars shows the latest Austrian history like the Bernhard car. Thomas Bernhard who had to “eat” a large share of Austrian history and who “gave it back” entirely.

Eduard von Bauernfeld – Paying Tribute Overkill

How did it happen? He was celebrating an anniversary and an invitation arrived at his home. The invitation to become an honorary citizen of Vienna to mark his 80th birthday. An there it is – hidden in the official letter – the sentence that he should eat something substantial before he goes to the ceremonial act. Because the certificate will be handed over in reality to celebrate the laureate. And the certificate is quite large. And heavyweight. A gorgeously decorated cover safeguards some richly illuminated certificate pages. They outdid themselves.
What did the honoured think? At first there was joy. Perhaps an “at last!” Such a certificate can make you proud. This is one of the most beautiful

Lisa (Luise) Palfy, Lottie Horn (Lotte Körner) – Happy Ending in Vienna

“Doesn’t the opera bandmaster Palfy take his lunch here with his daughter?” I am surprised and shocked because I didn’t keep this in mind. Although I am the Vienna expert and not my visitor from Stuttgart with whom I am passing by the restaurant of the Hotel “Imperial” (photo).
I know them all, the Viennese settings of the „doppelten Lottchen“ (Lottie and Lisa / The Parent Trap): the “Imperial” – the Staatsoper – the Rotenturmstraße (flat Palfy) – the Kärntner Ring (studio Palfy). But once you are getting older you sometimes forget all that romantic children novels with the happy endings. Even if you live virtually in them. Once reminded you even let your adult mind criticize that children books.