Abstract EN:

The viennese soul, the central theme of this work, has been embodied in friedrich torberg and at the sane time has survived through him. Born in a jewish upper middle- class family during the last years of francois-joseph's reign, he belongs to the generation of writers who contributed to make the so special viennese spirit live and be glorified at the end of the 19th century. A young and celebrated writer in a young republic haunted by monarchy, he had to leave his hometown during the anschluss. His first destination was prague, his second homeland, he then lived in switzerland and france and finally went into exile in the united states. There his inspiration dried up in this world so different from his. His circle of acquaintances included famous exile writers and his literary style reflected this mutation in his own world as well as the world historical events. In 1951 he finally went back to vienna where he remained a political and cultural reference until his death. He incessantly worked at keeping the jewish viennese spirit of his youth alive in a modem world where it did not any longer have a place. He used to like to call himself : "the last jewish writer of the german language