Dec 20, 2009

Across | Across

At a glance:

Author: Peter Handke
First Published: 1983
Type of Work: Philosophical novel
Time of Work: The early 1980’s
Setting: A suburb of Salzburg, Austria
Principal Characters: Andreas Loser
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Philosophical realism
Subjects: Teaching or teachers, Murder or homicide, Alienation, 1980’s, Existentialism, Austria or Austrians, Archaeology or archaeologists
Locales: Salzburg, Austria

The Novel

Across is a first-person narrative with little plot action. It consists of three major sections and an epilogue. Andreas Loser is a teacher of ancient languages at a high school in a suburb outside Salzburg, Austria. He lives separated from his wife and two children. He considers himself to be an observer of, and not a participant in, life. One day, Loser deliberately knocks over a passerby while walking in Salzburg. He does not know why he does it, but only that he must act—that it is now or never. He is clearly undergoing some kind of inner crisis,...

[The entire page is 1853 words long]

Across | Across

At a glance:

The Novel

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