Others' Austria

In the first half of the twentieth century, foreign visitors were witnesses to Austria's dramatic history. For these visitors, political and social issues often overshadowed the country's traditional attractions so that, even after the country's independence in 1955, travelers with an awareness of history were often painfully reminded of Austria's Nazi past. -- As they do in Volume I, the editors of the second volume of The Others' Austria present excerpts from material not usually included in travel anthologies: memoirs, journalism, and creative works. These document the striking neglect of Austria in other major travel anthologies. The correction of this oversight makes this book, like Volume I, a pioneering achievement in travel research. That there is no other anthology like it is all the more baffling as its sixty authors include some of the best-known names in American and British literature: W. H. Auden, John Dos Passos, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway, John Irving, Arthur Miller - as well as well-known critics, historians, journalists, world travelers, and mountaineers. -- Though political and social issues were often foremost in foreigners' impressions of Austria, the editors also discovered humorous sketches, exciting adventures, idyllic country scenes, unusual ways of traveling, and everyday experiences of farm life participated in by travelers. -- The Others' Austria is as thought provoking as it is pleasurable to read. It is meant for readers who know or want to get to know Austria; for cultural, social, and political historians of Central Europe; and for armchair travelers venturing beyond guidebooks.