Moses Joseph Roth (2 September 1894 – 27 May 1939) was an Austrian-Jewish journalist and novelist, best known for his

family saga The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. In novels (or sometimes sequences of novels) with a serious intent, this is often ...

'' Radetzky March'' (1932), about the decline and fall of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

, his novel of Jewish life ''

Job Work, labor (labour in Commonwealth English), occupation or job is the intentional activity people perform to support the needs and desires of themselves, other people, or organizations. In the context of economics, work can be seen as the huma ...

'' (1930) and his seminal essay "Juden auf Wanderschaft" (1927; translated into English as '' The Wandering Jews''), a fragmented account of the Jewish migrations from eastern to western Europe in the aftermath of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

. In the 21st century, publications in English of ''Radetzky March'' and of collections of his journalism from Berlin and Paris created a revival of interest in Roth.

Biography

Joseph Roth was born into a

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish family and grew up in

Brody Brody (, ; ; ; ) is a city in Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, Zolochiv Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr, Styr River, approximately northeast of the oblast capital, Lviv. Brody hosts the administrati ...

(currently in Ukraine), a small town near

Lemberg Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

(now

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

, Ukraine) in

East Galicia Eastern Galicia (; ; ) is a geographical region in Western Ukraine (present day oblasts of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Ternopil), having also essential historic importance in Poland. Galicia was formed within the Austrian Empire during the year ...

, in the easternmost reaches of what was then the

Austro-Hungarian empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not simply a faith-based religion, but an orthopraxy and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, ...

played an important role in the life of the town, which had a large Jewish population. Roth grew up with his mother and her relatives; he never saw his father, who had disappeared before he was born. Hofmann, Michael. "About the author", ''The Wandering Jews'', Granta Books, p. 141. After secondary school, Joseph Roth moved to Lemberg to begin his university studies in 1913, before transferring to the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

in 1914 to study philosophy and

German literature German literature () comprises those literature, literary texts written in the German language. This includes literature written in Germany, Austria, the German parts of Switzerland and Belgium, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, South Tyrol in Italy ...

. In 1916, Roth broke off his university studies and volunteered to serve in the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

on the Eastern Front, "though possibly only as an army journalist or censor". This experience had a major and long-lasting influence on his life. So, too, did the collapse in 1918 of the

Habsburg Empire The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, which marked the beginning of a pronounced sense of "homelessness" that was to feature regularly in his work. As he wrote: "My strongest experience was the War and the destruction of my fatherland, the only one I ever had, the Dual Monarchy of Austria-Hungary." Roth married Friederike (Friedl) Reichler in 1922. In the late 1920s, his wife became

schizophrenic Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...

, which threw Roth into a deep crisis, both emotionally and financially. She lived for years in a sanatorium and was later murdered in the Nazis'

Aktion T4 (German, ) was a campaign of Homicide#By state actors, mass murder by involuntary euthanasia which targeted Disability, people with disabilities and the mentally ill in Nazi Germany. The term was first used in post-WWII, war trials against d ...

programme. In 1929 he met Andrea Manga Bell, born in Hamburg and unhappily married to Alexandre Douala Manga Bell, Prince of

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region (Cameroon), Littoral Region. It was home to Central Africa's largest port, now being replaced by Kribi port. It has the country ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

. Her husband had returned to Cameroon while she and their children stayed in Europe. When Roth met her, she was editor of the Ullstein magazine ''Gebrauchsgraphik''. Being a prominent liberal Jewish journalist, Roth left Germany when

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

became

Reich ( ; ) is a German word whose meaning is analogous to the English word " realm". The terms and are respectively used in German in reference to empires and kingdoms. In English usage, the term " Reich" often refers to Nazi Germany, also ca ...

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

on 30 January 1933. Andrea Manga Bell accompanied him with her children. He spent most of the next six years in Paris, a city he loved. His essays written in France display a delight in the city and its culture. Shortly after Hitler's rise to power, in February 1933, Roth wrote in a prophetic letter to his friend, the Austrian writer

Stefan Zweig Stefan Zweig ( ; ; 28 November 1881 – 22 February 1942) was an Austrian writer. At the height of his literary career, in the 1920s and 1930s, he was one of the most widely translated and popular writers in the world. Zweig was raised in V ...

: The relationship with Andrea Manga Bell failed due to financial problems and Roth's jealousy. From 1936 to 1938, Roth had a romantic relationship with Irmgard Keun. They worked together, traveling to Paris,

Wilna Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, Warsaw, Vienna, Salzburg, Brussels and Amsterdam. Without denying his Jewish origins, Roth considered his relationship to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

very important. In the final years of his life, he may have converted: Michael Hofmann states in the preface to the collection of essays '' The White Cities'' (also published as ''Report from a Parisian Paradise'') that Roth "was said to have had two funerals, one Jewish, one Catholic". In his last years, he moved from hotel to hotel, drinking heavily and becoming increasingly anxious about money and the future. Despite suffering from chronic

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

, he remained prolific until his death in Paris in 1939. His novella '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' (1939) chronicles the attempts made by an alcoholic vagrant to regain his dignity and honor a debt. Roth's final collapse apparently was precipitated by learning that playwright

Ernst Toller Ernst Toller (1 December 1893 – 22 May 1939) was a German author, playwright, left-wing politician and revolutionary, known for his Expressionist plays. He served in 1919 for six days as President of the short-lived Bavarian Soviet Republic, ...

had hanged himself in New York on May 22. Roth died on May 27 from double pneumonia, aggravated by abrupt withdrawal of alcohol that produced ''

delirium tremens Delirium tremens (DTs; ) is a rapid onset of confusion usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol. When it occurs, it is often three days into the withdrawal symptoms and lasts for two to three days. Physical effects may include shaking, sh ...

'', and was buried on May 30 at the Cimetière de Thiais south of Paris.

Journalism and literary career

In 1918, Roth returned to Vienna and began writing for

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

newspapers, signing articles published by ''

Vorwärts ( ; "Forward") is a newspaper published by the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Founded in 1876, it was the central organ of the SPD for many decades. Following the party's Halle Congress (1891), it was published daily as the success ...

'' as ''Der rote Joseph'' (''The red Joseph'', a play on his surname, which is homophonous with German ''rot'', "red", which is also the signalling color of communist parties in Europe). In 1920 he moved to Berlin, where he worked as a successful journalist for the ' and, from 1921, for the '' Berliner Börsen-Courier''. In 1923 he began his association with the liberal '' Frankfurter Zeitung'', traveling widely throughout Europe, and reporting from the South of France, the USSR, Albania, Poland, Italy, and Germany. According to his main English translator,

Michael Hofmann Michael Hofmann (born 25 August 1957) is a German-born poet, translator, and critic. ''The Guardian'' has described him as "arguably the world's most influential translator of German into English". Biography Hofmann was born in Freiburg into ...

, "He was one of the most distinguished and best-paid journalists of the period, being paid at the dream rate of one Deutschmark per line."Hofmann, Michael. "About the Author", ''The Wandering Jews'', Granta Books, p. 142. In 1925 he spent a period working in France. He never again resided permanently in Berlin. Roth has been referred to as one of the novelists who helped the emergence of what is nowadays called the Habsburg myth. In 1923, Roth's first (unfinished) novel, ''The Spider's Web'', was serialized in an Austrian newspaper. He went on to achieve moderate success as a novelist with a series of books exploring life in post-war Europe, but only upon publication of ''Job'' and ''Radetzky March'' did he achieve acclaim for his fiction rather than his journalism. From 1930, Roth's fiction became less concerned with contemporary society, with which he had become increasingly disillusioned, and began to evoke a

melancholic Melancholia or melancholy (from ',Burton, Bk. I, p. 147 meaning black bile) is a concept found throughout ancient, medieval, and premodern medicine in Europe that describes a condition characterized by markedly depressed mood, bodily complain ...

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a neoclassical compound derived from Greek language, Greek, consisting of (''nóstos''), a Homeric word me ...

for life in imperial

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

before 1914. He often portrayed the fate of homeless wanderers looking for a place to live, in particular Jews and former citizens of the old Austria-Hungary, who, with the downfall of the monarchy, had lost their only possible ''

Heimat ''Heimat'' () is a German word translating to 'home' or 'homeland'. The word has connotations specific to German culture, German society and specifically German Romanticism, German nationalism, German statehood and regionalism so that it h ...

'' ("true home"). In his later works, Roth appeared to wish that the monarchy could be restored. His longing for a more tolerant past may be partly explained as a reaction against the political extremism of the time, which culminated in Germany with

National Socialism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequ ...

. The novel ''Radetzky March'' (1932) and the story "The Bust of the Emperor" (1935) are typical of this late phase. In another novel, ''The Emperor's Tomb'' (1938), Roth describes the fate of a cousin of the hero of ''Radetzky March'' up to Germany's

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

of Austria in 1938. Grave-Joseph-Roth

Published works

Fiction *''The Spider's Web'' (') (1923, adapted in 1989 into a film of the same title) *'' Hotel Savoy'' (1924) *'' The Rebellion'' (''Die Rebellion'') (1924; some editions of the English translation call it simply ''Rebellion'') *"April: The Story of a Love Affair" (''April. Die Geschichte einer Liebe'') (1925; in ''The Collected Stories'') *"The Blind Mirror" (') (1925; in ''The Collected Stories'') *'' Flight without End'' (''Die Flucht ohne Ende'') (1927) *''Zipper and His Father'' (') (1928) *''Right and Left'' (') (1929) *''The Silent Prophet'' (') (1929) *''

'' (''Hiob'') (1930) *'' Radetzky March'' (''Radetzkymarsch'') (1932; some English translations call it ''The Radetzky March'') *"Fallmerayer the Stationmaster" (') (1933; in ''The Collected Stories'') *' (1934) *"The Bust of the Emperor" (') (1934; in ''The Collected Stories'') *'' Confession of a Murderer'' (''Beichte eines Mörders'') (1936) * ''The Hundred Days'' (') (1936) *''Weights and Measures'' (') (1937) translation by David Le Vay forthcoming from Pushkin Press in October 2024. *'' The Emperor's Tomb'' (''Die Kapuzinergruft'') (1938) *''The String of Pearls'' (') (1939)Nürnberger, Helmuth. ''Joseph Roth''. Reinbek, Hamburg, 1981, p. 152. *'' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'' (') (1939) *"The Leviathan" (') (1940; in ''The Collected Stories'') *''The Collected Stories of Joseph Roth'', trans. by

, New York: W. W. Norton (2003) Non-Fiction *'' The Wandering Jews'' (''Juden auf Wanderschaft'') (1927; reportage) *''The Antichrist'' (''Der Antichrist'') (essay, 1934) *'' What I Saw: Reports from Berlin, 1920–1933'', trans. by Michael Hofmann, New York: W. W. Norton (2002) and London: Granta Books (2003) *''The White Cities: Reports from France, 1925–39'', trans. by Michael Hofmann, London: Granta Books (2004); issued in the United States as ''Report from a Parisian Paradise: Essays from France, 1925–1939'', New York: W. W. Norton & Company (2004) *''Joseph Roth: A Life in Letters'', trans. and edited by Michael Hofmann, New York: W. W. Norton (2012) *''The Hotel Years'', trans. and edited by Michael Hofmann, New York: New Directions (2015)

Filmography

*'' Sins of Man'', directed by

Otto Brower Otto Brower (December 2, 1890 – January 25, 1946) was an American film director. He directed more than 40 films between 1928 and 1946. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and died in Hollywood, California, from a myocardial infarction, ...

(1936, based on the novel ''

''), starring

Jean Hersholt Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is most famous for starring on the CBS radio series '' Dr. Christian'' from 1937–1954, which later inspired a TV se ...

*''Die Rebellion'', directed by

Wolfgang Staudte Wolfgang Staudte (9 October 1906 – 19 January 1984), born Georg Friedrich Staudte, was a German film director, script writer and actor. He was born in Saarbrücken. After 1945, Staudte also looked at German guilt in the cinema. Alongside ...

(TV film, 1962, based on the novel ''

Rebellion Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

''), starring Josef Meinrad *''Die Legende vom heiligen Trinker'', directed by (TV film, 1963, based on the novel '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker''), starring Hannes Messemer *', directed by Michael Kehlmann (TV film, 1965, based on the novel '' Radetzky March''), starring

Helmuth Lohner Helmuth Lohner (24 April 1933 – 23 June 2015) was an Austrian actor, theatre director, and from 1997 to 2006 director of the Theater in der Josefstadt. Early life Born in Vienna, Lohner initially trained as a commercial artist, while also tak ...

*''Die Geschichte der 1002. Nacht'', directed by Peter Beauvais (TV film, 1969, based on the novel ''The String of Pearls''), starring Johanna Matz *''Beichte eines Mörders'', directed by Wilm ten Haaf (TV miniseries, 1969, based on the novel '' Confession of a Murderer''), starring Hannelore Elsner *'' Trotta'', directed by

Johannes Schaaf Johannes Schaaf (7 April 1933 – 1 November 2019) was a German film, theatre and opera director and actor. Several of his films have been internationally recognized. His focus shifted to opera in the 1980s and he worked with many of the leading i ...

(1971, based on the novel '' The Emperor's Tomb''), starring Doris Kunstmann *', directed by Bernhard Wicki (1971, based on the novel ''Weights and Measures''), starring

Helmut Qualtinger Helmut Gustav Friedrich Qualtinger (; 8 October 1928 – 29 September 1986; also spelled Helmuth Qualtinger) was an Austrian actor, cabaret performer, writer and reciter. Biography Qualtinger was born in Vienna, First Austrian Republic, to a se ...

*''Stationschef Fallmerayer'', directed by Walter Davy (TV film, 1976, based on the novella ''Stationschef Fallmerayer''), starring Odile Versois *', directed by Michael Kehlmann (TV miniseries, 1978, based on the novel ''

''), starring Günter Mack *', directed by Dagmar Damek (TV film, 1978, based on the story ''April: The Story of a Love Affair''), starring

Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...

*''Tarabas'', directed by Michael Kehlmann (TV film, 1981, based on the novel ''Tarabas''), starring

*''Die Flucht ohne Ende'', directed by Michael Kehlmann (TV film, 1985, based on the novel '' Flight without End''), starring

and

Mario Adorf Mario Adorf (; born 8 September 1930) is a German actor, considered to be one of the great veteran character actors of European cinema. Since 1954, he has played both leading and supporting roles in over 200 film and television productions, am ...

*'' The Legend of the Holy Drinker'', directed by

Ermanno Olmi Ermanno Olmi (24 July 1931 – 7 May 2018)Lane, John Francis (May 7, 2018).Ermanno Olmi obituary. ''The Guardian''. theguardian.com. Retrieved 11 May 2018. was an Italian film director and screenwriter best known for directing '' Il Posto'' ( ...

(1988, based on the novel '' The Legend of the Holy Drinker''), starring

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. H ...

*'' Spider's Web'', directed by Bernhard Wicki (1989, based on the novel ''The Spider's Web''), starring

Ulrich Mühe Friedrich Hans Ulrich Mühe (; 20 June 1953 – 22 July 2007) was a German film, television and theatre actor. He played the role of Hauptmann (Captain) Gerd Wiesler in the Academy Awards, Oscar-winning film ''Das Leben der Anderen'' (''The Live ...

Armin Mueller-Stahl Armin Mueller-Stahl (born 17 December 1930) is a retired German actor who also appeared in numerous English-language films since the 1980s. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in ''Shine (1996 film), Sh ...

and Klaus Maria Brandauer *''Die Rebellion'', directed by

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, Ge ...

(TV film, 1993, based on the novel ''

'') *', directed by Axel Corti (TV miniseries, 1994, based on the novel '' Radetzky March''), starring

Max von Sydow Max von Sydow (; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish and French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...

and

Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress. An icon of the Swinging London, Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role of Meredith in the 1966 film ''Georgy Girl'', which starred Lynn ...

References

External links

JRO – Joseph Roth Online

Joseph Roth Collection
at the Leo Baeck Institute * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Joseph 1894 births 1939 deaths People from Brody Frankfurter Zeitung people Writers from Vienna University of Vienna alumni Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austrian historical novelists Austrian monarchists Jews from Austria-Hungary Writers from Austria-Hungary Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe) Jewish novelists Exilliteratur writers 20th-century Austrian male writers 20th-century Austrian journalists Polish-language writers 20th-century Austrian Jews