Roth, Joseph Pseudonyme: Hamilkar, Christine von Kandl und andere

Roth, Joseph (pseudonym: Hamilkar, Christine v. Kandl et al.), b. Brody (Ukraine), Sept. 2, 1894, d. Paris (France), May 27, 1939, novelist, short-story writer, feature writer. Studied German and philosophy in Lemberg (Lvív) and Vienna; officer during World War I; from 1918 journalist in Vienna, then in Berlin, promoted by A. Polgar, 1923-1932 correspondent for the "Frankfurter Zeitung" newspaper. From 1933 exile in Paris, from where he travelled to Vienna, Amsterdam, Ostend, etc. R. died in a hospital for the poor in Paris, marked by the hardships of his life, disappointed with the political situation and suffering from the effects of alcoholism.

His early works deal with the traumatic experiences of officers coming home from the war ("Flucht ohne Ende", 1927); in his early journalistic writings he supported social democratic ideas. His success in the 1920s and his late fame (1956 re-discovered by H. Kesten) are based on the fictional portrayal of the Habsburg monarchy shortly before its downfall. His novel "Radetzkymarsch" (1932) describes the rise and fall of three generations of the Trotta family. In the sequel "Die Kapuzinergruft" (1938), the famous Habsburg tomb to which the last of the Trottas demands admission, becomes a symbol of the fallen monarchy. His "Die Geschichte von der 1002. Nacht" (1939) is a variation on this theme, touched for the first time in his novel "Hotel Savoy" (1924), in which a hotel serves as a metaphor for a chaotic era and the odd characters existing then.

Further works: novels: Rebellion, 1924; Rechts und links, 1929; Hiob, 1930; Der Antichrist, 1934; Tarabas, 1934; Beichte eines Mörders, 1936; Die 100 Tage, 1936; Das falsche Gewicht, 1937; Die Legende vom heiligen Trinker, 1939; Der Leviathan, 1940. - Essay: Juden auf Wanderschaft, 1927. - Edition: Werke, 3 vols., ed. by H. Kesten, 1956; J. R., Romane, 4 vols., 1994.

Literature: D. Bronsen, J. R. Eine Biographie, 1974; C. Magris, Weit von wo, 1974; K. Westermann, J. R., Journalist, 1987; H. Lunzer and V. Lunzer-Talos, J. R. 1894-1939, exhibition catalogue, Jüdisches Museum der Stadt Wien, 1994; NÖB.