Our Man in Vienna

Exiled

“Founded in 1993 by Dr. Rudolf Scholten, the Austrian Archive for Exile Studies is part of the Documentation Centre for modern Austrian literature. The Archive documents the life and work of Austrian writers and other cultural figures who have been living in exile and emigration since 1933 or 1938.”

My colleague Dr.Armin A.Wallas died on May 30th of 2003. Dr Wallas, the Austrian scholar, writer, editor and publisher who specialized on Austrian-Jewish literature. ( Dr. Wallas published my bilingual collections of poetry by Else Keren, Stella Rotenberg and Else Keren in his Mnemosyne imprint.) I wrote to Dr. Ursula Seeber, Mag. Zwerger’s predecessor as Director of the Exile Library, requesting a commemorative event for Dr. Wallas.

A reply was not forthcoming. I tried to contact Dr. Seeber by phone but she was unavailable. When I finally managed to reach her, she rendered me a verbal refusal and suggested I contact Dr. Heinz Lunzer, Director of the Literaturhaus.

Trying to reach Dr. Lunzer consisted of flawless repetition of attempting to contact Dr. Seeber.

My letter went unanswered. When I called, he was always unavailable. When I finals reached hon by phone, I received my second oral refusal.

 

Deliberate Tactic

Not providing a written reply is not due to a breach in etiquette, but rather a deliberate tactic. There should be no written record of the refusal.

 

Da Capo! 2018 at the Eightieth Anniversary of the Annexation

I have described Dr. Wallas’ scholastic achievements.

I experienced a SA-raid on my grandmother’s apartment in very young years. My family was decimated in the Holocaust: As a translator I have published numerous bilingual collections of Austrian poetry, Burgenland Croatian poetry, Carinthian Slovenian poetry and Austrian Jewish poetry.

Contrary to my letter concerning Dr. Wallas, I received a written reply.

– Herbert Kuhner