756. Old Masters

Old Masters
Thomas Bernhard
1985
Around 310 pages

Oh, it's you again. That's been my reaction to every Thomas Bernhard novel on the List. They are not terrible, just pessimistic, and I feel like all of his entries are retreads of the same theme. Of course, they are much more menacing authors on this List, so I won't complain too much. 

This time, the cranky old guy at the center of the novel is 82-year-old music critic named Reger.  For over thirty years, he has sat on the same bench in front of Tintoretto's White-bearded Man in the Bordone Room of the Kunsthistorisches Museum for four or five hours every other day. The book is narrated by Atzbacher, who encounters Reger in the museum. 

I feel like Bill Murray could star in a dreary movie adaptation of this work. Bernhard's characters tend to eschew society and have contempt for everyone. This one seemed a little more hopeful than his other works. Even if everything else fails us in life, it's always fun to hate watch things with friends. That's what I got out of it anyway.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Bernhard's home is now a museum.

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