Joseph Roth

The Profile

Joseph Roth (1894–1939) was an Austrian-Jewish novelist and journalist, best known for works such as Radetzky March and The Legend of the Holy Drinker. His writing often addresses exile, the decline of the Austro-Hungarian world, alcoholism and moral crisis.

Born 1894, died 1939. Austrian novelist and journalist active in the interwar period; recurring themes include the collapse of the Habsburg Empire, exile, alcoholism and social/political decay. Lived and worked in Paris during the 1930s; wrote novels, novellas and essays.

Two DeBaser reviews (both by musicanidi) examine Joseph Roth's L'Anticristo and Confessione di un assassino. Reviewers praise Roth's dry, sharp, ironic prose and recurring themes of evil, exile and drunkenness. One review highlights Russian/Dostoevsky influences and espionage atmospheres. Recommendations target readers of melancholic interwar fiction.