Gerhard Amanshauser has been called the "most important of Austria's as yet undiscovered authors" (Daniel Kehlmann). However, in the meantime even the major German-language media give regular space to the self-styled outsider who lives on the hill under Hohensalzburg Fortress. In this collection, the man who has no difficulty in describing the people on our planet as seen from a probe, takes a stand against all dogmas, with penetrating wit and an exceptional refusal to compromise. Entlarvung der flüchtig skizzierten Herren collects his most forcible writings from six decades – narrative, satirical, theoretical, always autobiographical. Gerhard Amanshauser has the staying-power for large-scale constructs, but he is also a master of small-scale, precise form. His point of view, always original, throws light on us all from unexpected angles, not least on himself. This makes the book a pleasure to read; rarely have literature and philosophy been so clearly and realistically presented. Amanshauser rejects banal discourse and the business of literature. He has no time for vanities, but pursues his radical, rigorous exploration of "modern" society and is, moreover, a brilliant stylist.

“As regards his will towards monomania, Gerhard Amanshauser cannot compare to his friend Thomas Bernhard. In terms of literary boldness, Thomas Bernhard cannot compare to Gerhard Amanshauser. Of all Austrian writers yet to be discovered, this cosmopolitan from Salzburg is the most important.” FALTER, Daniel Kehlmann “As Barbarian in the Prater” is more than the autobiography of its author born in 1928 in Salzburg. It is also an engaging novel about childhood and youth in Austria (1928-1950).

Following his time as an apprentice Bruno Melzer’s hopes for his time as His Own Master are not fulfilled. The dream of independence soon proves to be a fragile utopia. He undergoes a painful disillusion process doing monotonous work on a factory conveyor belt, then loses his remaining vestiges of freedom as a one night stand makes him a father. But along with the story of the worker Bruno, this famous novel paints a broader picture of social conditions and attitudes at the time, and remains highly relevant today.

H. C. Artmanns prose has lost none of its magic, and feels as powerful, surprising and multi-dimensional as ever. Every line of these 1800 pages is full of the effervescent spirit, the immense wealth of form and imagination, and the subtle wit of this stand-alone figure of Austrian literature. There are few real wonders in the world but H. C. Artmann is one of them.