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Der Untergeher (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)

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The narrator, an Austrian writer and former pianist from a well-to-do family, suffering from pulmonary disease. As the novel begins, the narrator has just attended the funeral of Wertheimer, one of his two best friends. He stops on the spur of the moment at an inn in the vicinity of his deceased friend’s hunting lodge in Upper Austria. Feeling lonely, vulnerable, and somewhat guilty because of his recent neglect of Wertheimer, the narrator attempts to come to terms with his friend’s suicide. This attempt leads him to explore the lifelong friendship and...

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