Discussion:
Earthly Powers
Bradley Skene
2006-03-14 01:47:53 UTC
Permalink
In Anthony Burgess' *Earthly Powers*, he mentions a Neo-Latin author Wilhelm
Fahlrot von Klagenfurt (d. 1427), who wrote a 1000 poem called *Vindobona*,
under the pseudonym Frambosius. Supposedly this work consisted of a
description of Vienna being taking over by a horde of giant rats--as a
result of their depredations, ordinary citizens of Vienna begin to dress up
as rats to blend in. This is mentioned in connection with the German
annexation of Austria in 1936, as though it were a prophecy.

I can find no trace of this work either on the web or in the University of
Chicago library catalog.

Does anyone have any information about this author and work, or, as I
suspect, is it a mere satirical embellishment by Burgess?

Also, does anyone know under what title *Earthly Powers* was published in
Britain?

Cheers,

Bradley A. Skene
James M. Pfundstein
2006-03-14 16:01:58 UTC
Permalink
In Anthony Burgess' Earthly Powers, he mentions a Neo-Latin author
Wilhelm Fahlrot von Klagenfurt (d. 1427), who wrote a 1000 poem
called Vindobona, under the pseudonym Frambosius. Supposedly this
work consisted of a description of Vienna being taking over by a
horde of giant rats--as a result of their depredations, ordinary
citizens of Vienna begin to dress up as rats to blend in. This is
mentioned in connection with the German annexation of Austria in
1936, as though it were a prophecy.
I can find no trace of this work either on the web or in the
University of Chicago library catalog.
Does anyone have any information about this author and work, or, as
I suspect, is it a mere satirical embellishment by Burgess?
As you say, this reads like a joke. "Frambosius" (to the extent is
means anything) would mean "Raspberry-ish"; "Fahlrot" is "faded-
red" (pink?) and Klagenfurt would be "Whiningford". Looks like
Burgess (if that is his real name!) is sticking out his faded-red
tongue and blowing a raspberry-- a rather Burgessian thing to do.
Also, does anyone know under what title Earthly Powers was
published in Britain?
Apparently _Earthly Powers_ (the publisher was Hutchinson, according
to our local library).

JM("Maus")P
Gene O'Grady
2006-03-14 18:25:25 UTC
Permalink
Klagenfurt, however, is a real place that I have been involved with three
times:

(1) Changing trains in 1972 on my only trip to Venice.

(2) Cataloguing the Jahresberichte of the local Gymnasium when Stanford
bought the Austrian national library's duplicates and, finding they had bit
off more than they could chew, dipped into the ranks of Classics graduate
students to finish the project.

(3) The homeland of the Lorbers, an older couple who celebrated holidays
with my family for almost fifty years, and left us the remains of the estate
of the legendary "Uncle Hugo," a merchant in the German trading port in
China before the first world war which gave my daughter her dress up clothes
when she was young a me a remarkable well printed 1909 Jugendstil program
from a concert of a wind band formed from the local German residents
featuring among other selections excerpts from Parsifal, which I thought
(probably mistakenly) was still reserved for Bayreuth at that date.

gmo

----- Original Message -----
From: "James M. Pfundstein" <***@BGNET.BGSU.EDU>
To: <CLASSICS-***@LSV.UKY.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:01 AM
Subject: Re: [CLASSICS-L] Earthly Powers
Post by James M. Pfundstein
In Anthony Burgess' Earthly Powers, he mentions a Neo-Latin author
Wilhelm Fahlrot von Klagenfurt (d. 1427), who wrote a 1000 poem
called Vindobona, under the pseudonym Frambosius. Supposedly this
work consisted of a description of Vienna being taking over by a
horde of giant rats--as a result of their depredations, ordinary
citizens of Vienna begin to dress up as rats to blend in. This is
mentioned in connection with the German annexation of Austria in
1936, as though it were a prophecy.
I can find no trace of this work either on the web or in the
University of Chicago library catalog.
Does anyone have any information about this author and work, or, as
I suspect, is it a mere satirical embellishment by Burgess?
As you say, this reads like a joke. "Frambosius" (to the extent is
means anything) would mean "Raspberry-ish"; "Fahlrot" is "faded-
red" (pink?) and Klagenfurt would be "Whiningford". Looks like
Burgess (if that is his real name!) is sticking out his faded-red
tongue and blowing a raspberry-- a rather Burgessian thing to do.
Also, does anyone know under what title Earthly Powers was
published in Britain?
Apparently _Earthly Powers_ (the publisher was Hutchinson, according
to our local library).
JM("Maus")P
John M. McMahon
2006-03-14 18:35:12 UTC
Permalink
Post by Gene O'Grady
Klagenfurt, however, is a real place
... and home of the famous dragon/Lindwurm fountain.

Image:

http://www2.iicm.edu/0x811bc833_0x0000a8d7

JMM / LMC
Eva Jaksch
2006-03-14 18:02:09 UTC
Permalink
Post by James M. Pfundstein
"Frambosius" (to the extent is
means anything) would mean "Raspberry-ish"; "Fahlrot" is "faded-
red" (pink?) and Klagenfurt would be "Whiningford".
One quibble, if I may: Klagenfurt is actually a town in Austria.

Eva Jaksch
J J
2006-03-14 17:05:40 UTC
Permalink
I believe it was published under the same title:

Hardcover 640 pages (October 20, 1980)
Publisher: Hutchinson
ISBN: 0091439108

Regards,
Jon

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Owen Cramer
2006-03-14 18:53:27 UTC
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Burgess (if that is his real name!)--Jon Anthony Burgess Wilson; aka
Joseph Kell.
Klagenfurt is home also to Robert Musil and (sojourning on the adjoining
Wörthersee) Gustav Mahler. When I was in Carinthia in the late 1950s I
enjoyed also the association with Paracelsus (a native of nearby Villach)
and with a wonderful local saint called Hemma of Gurk.
Owen Cramer
Theodore F. Brunner
2006-03-14 19:23:25 UTC
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