Concrete

You may have heard the concept of “a play within a play,” well this read is a “book within a book.” Thomas Bernhardt’s Concrete is anything but what the title suggests – hard as a rock!  Bernhardt is setting new directions with this book which reminds me a great deal of playwright Eugene Ionesco’s Bald Soprano.  In many ways, it is an absurdist book in that the book is about the main character writing a book, which he doesn’t write and instead we learn about why he can’t or doesn’t write the book!  The main character, Rudolph, is a Viennese musicologist who sets out to write a book on the life and music of composer Mendelssohn Bartholdy.  When Rudolph’s sister learns of his desire to do so, she chastises him and tells all about her brother’s inability to actually write the book.  In my opinion, Bernhardt opens the door through this genre of writing for all of the recent writings/comedies such as Seinfeld – a tv show about creating a tv show.  Clearly Jerry Seinfeld and his crew are influenced by the brilliance of Bernhardt.  Rudolph’s procrastination and turmoil of writing anything just adds more fuel to his sister’s incessant nagging.  The book is one long stream of consciousness monologue of sorts.  There are no chapter breaks and Rudolph goes from one agonizing blank page to another.  Rudolph is drawn to his sister for her approval, yet is verbally abused at every moment by her.  She actually is responsible for his parents’ eventual demise!  Love the characters, love the story, and love the style in which Bernhardt presents this human condition, dream big and never go past GO!  Not a long read at all.  This is not for the linear, happy ending kind of story people.  It is a new brand of writing (circa 1982) which I suggest sets the stage for the comedies of today.  Go read this one!