In These Great Times

‘People do not understand German, but I will not write for them in journalese …’

Karl Kraus (1874-1936) ranks as one the greatest twentieth-century satirists. His inventive, subversive and acutely insightful work remains as relevant today as it was a century ago. In 1899, Kraus established his own journal, Die Fackel (The Torch), and began ‘to drain the marsh of empty phrase-making’, aiming at targets such as the press, Zionism and psychoanalysis.

In Kraus’ view, much of Vienna’s social and political divide – where the issue of immigration created mounting tensions and a virulent rise in anti-Semitism – was caused by the mass-circulation of the press and its manipulation of public opinion. This view dominates his most outstanding creative achievement, the apocalyptic drama written in response to the outbreak of WWI, The Last Days of Mankind.

Alongside key essays such as ‘A Crown for Zion’, ‘Salomé’ and ‘In These Great Times’, this collection features a crucial scene from The Last Days of Mankind, as well as a selection of aphorisms culled from Die Fackel.

Praise for Patrick Healy’s translation of The Last Days of Mankind:

‘Healy conveys the communal bewilderment and rage in a dazzling vernacular as a chorus of voices reacts to the outbreak of the Great War and the hell it created. […] It sizzles and flares.’ - Eileen Battersby in The Irish Times