''The Dog King'' is a 1995 novel by the Austrian writer

Christoph Ransmayr Christoph Ransmayr (; born 20 March 1954) is an Austrian writer. Life Born in Wels, Upper Austria, Ransmayr grew up in Roitham near Gmunden and the Traunsee. From 1972 to 1978 he studied philosophy and ethnology in Vienna. He worked there as ...

. Its original title is ''Morbus Kitahara''. A work of

alternative history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

, it is set in Central Europe after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and the implementation of the

Morgenthau Plan The Morgenthau Plan was a proposal to weaken Germany following World War II by eliminating its arms industry and removing or destroying other key industries basic to military strength. This included the removal or destruction of all industria ...

, which has deindustrialized the region and created a ruthless post-apocalyptic-esque society. The main character is the son of a blacksmith who becomes the bodyguard of the only man in the area who owns a car. An English translation by John E. Woods was published in 1997. The book received the 1996 Aristeion Prize.

Reception

Curt Fields wrote in the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'': "The themes are grand, but the writing is far from pompous. Ransmayr's story (and John E. Woods' translation from the original German) is elegant, incisive and never labored." In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Gabriele Annan wrote about the book's use of allegory: "Whatever it symbolizes, the narrative is wildly arbitrary; but there is something so powerful, committed and solemn about Ransmayr's tone that it seems like a command to interpret his message". The critic continued: "This can have the opposite effect, of course, and Ransmayr has affectations that can be irritating. All the same, he is a marvelous writer, though, unlike most novelists, he writes more about sensations than feelings." ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' wrote: "Ably translated by Woods, this novel paints a convincing postapocalyptic world sent back into a nearly pre-civilized state. But Ransmayr (''

The Terrors of Ice and Darkness ''The Terrors of Ice and Darkness'' () is a 1984 novel by the Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr. It tells the stories of the 1872–74 Austro-Hungarian North Pole expedition, of a young Italian man who disappeared in 1981 while researching the ...

''), though clearly probing the question of how Germany is to view itself in the wake of the Holocaust and WWII, never pulls his story out of his dark, expressionist atmospherics into the clear light of an answer."

References

External links

German publicity page
1995 Austrian novels 1995 science fiction novels Aftermath of World War II in popular culture Alternate history novels Austrian science fiction novels Dystopian novels German-language novels Novels by Christoph Ransmayr Post-apocalyptic novels S. Fischer Verlag books {{1990s-ah-novel-stub