Karl Kraus, Fred Bridgham (translator), Edward Timms (translator) · 1922 · EPUB · Calibre ID 6351
Resurfaced in Except in Sequence, Repetition, Omission (2026-10-19).
Role in the triad
Ancestor: the documentary method with a commentator (the Grumbler); source of the participle Bäcker’s note cites.
Why this book
First large work built on the claim that ordered quotations accuse their speakers; its Preface disclaims invention; its Przemysl pair shows composition by reversal alone; the Grumbler is the voice Bäcker refuses.
Quotations
Verified against the book’s own text on the day of the reading.
- “The most improbable conversations conducted here were spoken word for word; the most lurid fantasies are quotations.” (Preface)
- “The document takes human shape; reports come alive as characters and characters expire as editorials; the newspaper column has acquired a mouth that spouts monologues; platitudes stand on two legs—unlike men left with only one.” (Preface)
- “Universal conscription has turned mankind into a passive noun. Once men joined the forces, now they’re forced to join.” (II, 10)
- “Thanks for the compliment, but don’t you remember? My most lurid fantasies are quotations!” (V, 44)
- “Not by hunger but by enemy action—damn, what am I saying—not by enemy action but by hunger!” (II, 16) / “Not by force but by hunger—dammit, what am I saying! Not by hunger but by force!” (III, 22)
Themes
compulsorily enlisted · Die Fackel · Grumbler · montage · Optimist · passive participle · press · Przemysl · quotation · satire · war