This short novel written in 1930 had three sections. The first one took up most of the book and told the story of Kobler, an ex-car salesman on the make, who takes a picaresque journey by train from his home in Munich to the World's Fair in Barcelona, where he expects to find a wealthy "Egyptian" woman - although any nationality will do - who will keep him in luxury once he's placed her in a compromising position by debauching her. The much briefer middle section relates how Anna, an unemployed seamstress who appears briefly in the first section, "becomes practical" by turning to prostitution. And the even briefer final section attempts to end things on a modestly hopeful note with the altruistic gesture of Herr Reithofer, a down-and-out Austrian living in Munich who can't even collect unemployment insurance because he's not a German citizen; even after he had been shamefully led on by Anna, who gets him to pay for a movie despite his straitened circumstances, then refuses him sex unless he pays for it, Reithofer presents her with a job lead that he happens upon serendipitously, while drowning his sorrows with a 30-pfennig beer.Mildly amusing at times - not so funny as Shalom Auslander, who wrote the introduction (which, I agree with the readers below, is very good), makes out - the novel nevertheless didn't resonate with me, perhaps because it's so dated in its style and politics. The author, Horvath, was remarkably clear-eyed and prescient about the fascist menace; he had to flee Germany, then Austria, before his accidental death in 1938. Still, I didn't find that his satire and irony offered any enduring insights, although his exposure of the brutal hypocrisies accepted by the comfortable classes and the right-wingers of Europe during that era were certainly stinging and provocative at the time. Satire has exposed many of the same tendencies again and again over the decades since without having had much of an effect, so it may be admirable - especially when it gets the Nazis after you - but not all that impressive, given the score sheet. Horvath seems aware of this: nearly all of his characters are on the make and - if they haven't started out that way, end up being - cynical. The exception is Reithofer. His altruism can't really be read as Horvath revealing a true naïve sentimentality hidden beneath a sardonic mask, however, given how it occurs at the very end of a long gauntlet of "shitheads" being "shitheads".The war - the Great War - and its aftermath haunts the novel and its characters, explaining their desperate circumstances and moral malaise. The one part of the novel that really stood out for me is the account of the bullfight that Kobler witnesses when in Barcelona. The parallel between the plight of the animals - bulls and a horse - and that of the common soldiers goaded into attack only to be butchered to serve the blood lust and interests of those in charge was striking and moving.
A brewery here in the U.S. advertizes its products as if they were deliberately offensive: "It's not too strong, you're too weak" and that kind of thing. That is how this book should advertize itself. Essentially, you are too soppy and pathetic to deal with Horvath's rage, and too conventional and boring to accept the bizarre structure he uses to convey said rage. Because, my friend, you are a philistine. "The philistine," he tells us, is "an egoist who suffers from hypochondria, and this is why he seeks, like a coward, to fit in wherever he goes and to distort every new formulation of the idea by calling it his own." That's not the definition I would have made, but anyway, the important point is that "the old species of philistine no longer even deserves to be ridiculed, and whoever is still mocking him at present is at best a philistine of the future." And we see how the philistine comports him or herself very clearly in this book, written around 1929--and somewhat chillingly showing how 'ordinary' people will do whatever the hell they (we) think will help them get ahead, not excluding, for instance, nazism. The old philistine believes in ideals like Art and the League of Nations and Universal Humanity, despite never having understood anything he's read. The new philistine believes only in his own wallet and penis, sees no need to justify his revolting actions, and never bothered to read anything at all. That takes us through the first part of the novel, a train trip through a Europe turning fascist. In the second part, we get a female philistine; but while the gentlemen of the first part chose their philistinism, our Fraulein has it forced on her. So, if you've ever wished that Evelyn Waugh had been a middle-european novelist, who was more sympathetic to the proletariat and more skeptical of the rich, you should probably read this book. As a special bonus, Shalom Auslander's introduction is so perfect that I immediately went out to buy his novel. But my bookstore didn't have a copy. Hence making his introduction, about the speed with which funny books go out of print, even more perfect. No matter--they had plenty of Jonathan Franzen. Deep.
Do You like book The Eternal Philistine (2012)?
Okay, I will admit it. I was very likely influenced to order this book instead of any other from the Neversink collection because there was a forward written by Shalom Auslander, author of the wickedly awesome collection of short stories, Beware of God. Once I'd read that introduction, I have to say, that if I had picked this book up in a shop somewhere, and skimmed through or read that introduction, I would have been compelled to buy this book immediately, at nearly any cost, no matter the state of my bank account. As it was, I spent days trying to explain, to anyone who would listen, how witty and pointed this introduction was.It wouldn't be easy to live up to a build-up like that.The book did its best, but it was hindered by my near-complete lack of comprehension of the historical context of the stories. (The book is in three parts, which are definitely connected, but kind of separate.) An appreciation of this book doesn't require a familiarity with the political and economic conditions of Europe between the two world wars, but I couldn't help feeling it would be greatly improved by such knowledge. Particularly during Kobler's train voyage -- the attitudes that various strangers from different regions and countries took toward one another, not to mention remarks on cities and geographical features they passed through or by -- I felt repeatedly frustrated that I just had no context to place these in.Despite all my lack of prior knowledge, The Eternal Philistine still managed to convey a great deal about its time and place, but even more about the universal state of people caught up in societal forces beyond their control. Some seek for, and some find, a way to thrive in their changing times. Others die by inches. There is an excellent quote near the end of this book, which could sum up most of it:"If all the shitheads went and helped each other out, then every shithead would be better off."Yes, this book is bitter, and dark. But what makes it bearable is not the comedy, but what makes any horror in life more bearable -- a little bit of human solidarity.
—Jennifer
Shalom Auslander's introduction to this book is definitely one of the better ones I've read. It was extremely witty and enjoyable to read. The novel itself, though short, was also a pleasure to read. The plot was kept simple but the themes and nuances sufficiently profound. One's appreciation of the content may be discounted if one lacks the knowledge of historical background, seeing how this was set post WWI period. Nevertheless, Horvath's writing style is so excellent that I believe any good reader would be able to find in The Eternal Philistine a very satisfying and engaging read.
—Ermy Rukmana
