The Tobacconist: Robert Seethaler

Very readable and amusing in places. Historically accurate and informative also. The characters are strong and the plot is compelling

Robert Seethaler came to the attention of the English speaking world when ''A Whole Life' was published in 2015, the novel was shortlisted for the Man-Booker International Prize, 2016. Described by Jim Crace as; "...heart rending and heart warming...for all its gentleness, a very powerful novel". This novel is every bit as good. The Tobacconist is an elegantly written coming of age novel set in Vienna just before WWII. The story is overshadowed by the coming storm but at the beginning of the novel Austria has not yet fallen completely to the Nazis. The young life of country boy Franz is beautifully portrayed in a novel that becomes progressively darker - a rights of passage from simple country existence to the bright lights of the city to the depths of Nazi depravity. There are scenes of touching naivity, of a boy growing up and of being lost in a world that is beyond his comprehension. At times humourous and at times sad, the contrast highlights the tragedy of the times all the more vividly. The rise of Nazism is initially a backdrop to the story but becomes the overarching menace within which every character must act and react. Actions become not just choices but a matter of acquiescence or defiance in the face of tyranny. Defiance has a high price but Franz has integrity, an honest nature and a firm understanding of what he believes to be right from wrong. There is a stark contrast between the mollycoddled life in his mother's house and the challenge of coping alone in the city, of work in the tobacconist shop, of girls, of clashing cultures - the city, itself, is changing with the Anschluss fast approaching. The growing clamour for a greater Germany, the free rein granted to anti-Semitic hatred, the repression of free speech and the general climate of fear all colour the novel. Franzl Huchel is 17 in 1937 Austria, he is wholly unprepared when his mother sends him into the wide world following the death of thier benefactor, Herr Preininger, one of the richest men in the region, (the man who has provided for them and prevented her son working on a farm or in a salt mine). From Salzkammergut's rural life Franz is sent to Vienna to be apprentice Tobacconist to Otto Trsnyek, an old friend of his mother. Here he meets Freud and forms an attachment to the old man, Freud tells him he needs a girlfriend. Unfortunately his experience leads to love sickness and pangs of the heart. The novel revolves around the three crucial relationships in Franz's life, (after his mother). Otto Trsnyek, the Tobacconist - and a sort of father figure, Anezka the Bohemian peasant girl (his lover) and Dr. Freud his mentor. Trsnyek is passionate about his little shop and the news but Franz realises that there is more to life. He becomes obsessed with ideas, with falling in love, with taking a stand. The meeting with Dr. Freud are witty and playful, not exactly analysis but an exploration of the young mind and it's obsessions. The change for Franz to the city leaves him homesick but the discovery of an emotional world he never imagined intrigues him, truly eye opening. Gradually he realises the city is changing, the Nazis begin to take over. The emboldened butcher throws offal at the Tobacco shop for serving Jews and degenerates, (both political and sexual). The setting of the Tobacconist shop, the dismal streets of the poorer districts of Vienna, the living condition of the working class and the rich are all vividly realised. The first encounter with an underground club is straight out of Spencer or Isherwood, just like Cabaret. The experience is both a delight and a torment for the young man - a heartbreaking read. The casual nature of every day anti-Semitism gives way to systematic violence and cruelty. The tragic incident of Red Egon sets the tone for worse to come. Franz' feelings are intuit, his understanding more emotional than intellectual but everyone must decide where they stand. The novel questions where will Franz stand, what kind of a man will be become? The fate of everyone in the city depends upon the whim of the Nazis; Franz, Otto, Anezka and Dr. Freud. The​ Tobacconist is a beguiling tale beautiful told and warmly translated, full of tragedy and pathos. Franz imagined life has the feel of the experience of a real teenager faced with extraordinary times. Ultimately everyone has to make choices in life. Robert Seethaler is an Austrian writer and actor. Over the past twelve years he has received numerous prizes and accolades for his work. I hope we get more soon, this novel is a terrific read.

I enjoyed this book as an easy read with likeable characters and situations that were engaging. It felt a little tragically realistic in the lack of contrived outcomes, which I'm not sure I liked or not yet... I think I feel a little cheated of some characters' development.

An interesting translation from the German. I thought the novel gave a very clear yet atmospheric picture of Vienna in 1938. However, the plot was a bit thin, and I found the parts featuring Sigmund Freud a little hard to believe (yes, I know it is fiction but I like it to be believable!).

This novel has that most ominous of beginnings: a violent thunderstorm that sweeps over the mountains, coupled with a death that signifies irreversible change in fortune for its protagonist, the seventeen-year-old, Franz. This is partly a coming of age story in which a young man must leave the idyllic surrounding of his home in the lake district of Austria, and make his way as an apprentice in the capital city of Vienna. He begins working for Otto, a First World War veteran with one leg, in his tobacconist shop where he sells newspapers, tobacco and cigars to an array of eccentric characters, including the professor, Sigmund Freud, with whom he strikes up an unlikely friendship. The early part of the book is taken up with Franz’s homesickness and his infatuation with a young woman who works as a stripper. His awkwardness and the realisation of his sexual feelings might all be very ordinary, but for the fact that these crucial years for Franz take place in the shadow of the Third Reich in the lead up to Hitler’s annexation of Austria. The details are subtly and chillingly woven into the narrative in an almost understated way. Customers in the tobacconist shop begin to say the words ‘Heil Hitler’ with varying degrees of enthusiasm. The sight of anti-Jewish graffiti becomes normalised, and Franz observes subtle differences in the way people begin to carry themselves, while others are afraid to speak their minds. What begins in the novel as political headlines that Franz reads in the newspapers concerning the future of Austria, soon becomes a stark reality once the Nazi party gains control. When the political consequences become all too real for his Jewish employer, Otto, Franz’s dreamy nature must undergo a radical change. The gathering pace of this novel and its poetic language work powerfully towards the story’s dramatic conclusion.

I enjoyed this book as it provided a realistic description of Austria before WWII. However, although the main character was intriguing and well described the overall plot was disjointed and did not really led to a well rounded ending.

I disliked the book immensely. It was very well written, extremely depressing but portrayed the times well. I felt sorry for the boy.

This powerful tale of defiance to a greater evil has never been more relevant. The tale of Franz’s emergence from childhood innocence to adulthood dominated by fascism is at once: tragic, comic, moving and hopeful. Like in ‘A Whole Life’, Seethaler’s prose is economic but eloquent, flowing effortlessly building a palpable 1930’s Vienna, redolent of cigar smoke, diesel and horse droppings. Franz’s maturation is brilliantly depicted in his evolving relationships with the key figures in his life: his mother, Otto, Anezka and Freud. The author is a master at manipulating the reader’s emotions with mood adjusting attention to detail and atmosphere. The scene in Freud’s study, with the increasing gloom, daddy longlegs and assorted ornaments is masterfully crafted and poignant. This is a dark tale, lit up by the strength of the human spirit, leaving the reader with hope.