Vienna Tales

Situated on the cusp of West and East, between the foothills of the Alps and the mighty ''Blue Danube'', Vienna has long presented authors with a wealth of material for stories that entertain and intrigue. The city''s famous quality of life and rich variety of cultural offerings is apparent here at every turn, but so too is its darker side, whether it be the Viennese obsession with death and decay or the dramatic, tragic events of its twentieth-century history. In stories from the early to mid-nineteenth century in particular, the city stands for wine, women and song, for a laid-back - - perhaps somewhat lax?- - outlook on life that is invariably linked to its location as German culture''s southernmost centre. In more recent tales, the theme of the good life and of Vienna''s beauty continues, but there are very few authors who do not dwell on elements of darkness or melancholy. Indeed, from the mid-twentieth century onward, death itself seems to have become literature''s preferred guid