Atlas of an Anxious Man

978-3-10-062951-7

Atlas of an Anxious Man (German: Atlas eines ängstlichen Mannes) is a 2012 book by the Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr. It consists of 70 texts with impressions from different places in the world, each beginning with the words "I saw".

The book was published in English in 2016, translated by Simon Pare.^[1]

Reception

Critical response

Gisela von Wysocki of Die Zeit compared the way of writing, with no clear distinction between journalism and fiction, to works by V. S. Naipaul, Bruce Chatwin and Hubert Fichte. She wrote that Atlas of an Anxious Man is a challenging book to read, partially because of the quick changes of location, but also because of the "immaculately worked" and "completely humour free" linguistic style. Wysocki wrote: "A splendid accomplishment, but also a problematic seductive pact. Because not even masterpieces are protected from monotony."^[2]

Accolades

2013: Brothers Grimm Prize of the City of Hanau
2014: Fontane-Preis der Stadt Neuruppin
2015: Prix Jean Monnet de Littérature Européenne
2015: Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger – Non-Fiction

References

^ Atlas of an anxious man. OCLC 933503608. Retrieved 2017-02-11 – via WorldCat.
^ Wysocki, Gisela von (2012-10-31). "Die Welt ist voller Wunder". Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 2017-02-11. makellos gearbeiteten"; "komplett humorfreien"; "Eine Glanzleistung, aber auch ein problematisch verführerischer Pakt. Denn auch Meisterwerke sind vor Monotonie nicht gefeit.