Gathering Evidence: A Memoir

This book, Bernhard's autobiography, combines a series of five books published in German from 1976 to 1982.The first chapter of this translation, on Bernhard's early childhood, was the last volume of the series. It shows the no-limits nature of Bernhard's childhood strivings and the criminal talent he had to separate his sense of joy from the desire of his mother and other caretakers that he should detest himself for not being there for them, for not praising them, and for not feeling shame and failure like they felt. It also shows how much he loved his grandfather.The second chapter was the first volume. George Steiner wrote in 1985 that it's the best description of what it's like to be bombed in any language. Also, that it's untranslatable. It covers the 1943-46 period when Bernhard was btwn ages 12 and 15 in Salzburg, as Salzburg was being bombed by the Allies, and just after Austria's unconditional surrender. It expresses Bernhard's nightmarish state of mind then, and tells in journalistic style just what he saw.The German version of these books is outrageously better than the English translation in this case --- even though in others such as Woodcutters, the same translator produced what I feel is as good a book in English or maybe better than the original. Maybe these autobiographical books really are untranslatable.Still, this book is amazing. Not only is it true to the state of affairs. But it's also a classic fairy tale where Bernhard takes on the role of Luke Skywalker, his grandfather the role of Obi-Wan Kenobe, and the grocer who employs Bernhard a role of Yoda.By unwittingly retelling the Star Wars story, this autobiography shows both the power of myth and one way the story of Nazism could become a useful cautionary myth, like one of Grimm's fairy tales, for the next millenium. ...

The version I read was in three parts and each part was like a whole so there was a fair bit of repetition. If that wasn't the case the book would get 5 stars as the man is clearly an inspired writer with an almost perfectly free intellect (much to the horror of Germans, Austrians, organised religions and the medical profession amongst others). Like JG Ballard he opens one's mind up to ideas that one would never have dared to dream of. Best of all, despite it all (his life was quite depressing due to growing up in Nazi Germany and contracting TB) he's very funny. Makes you feel that with humour you're safe from everything.