What do You think about The Master Of The Day Of Judgement (2005)?
Ogni lettore si costruisce negli anni la propria rete di riferimenti, di raggruppamenti, di rimandi fra una lettura e l'altra e poi approfondisce cio' che piu' gli e' consono oppure cio' che e' piu' diverso allo scopo di prender confidenza con cio' che non conosce. Ho ritrovato "Il maestro del giudizio universale" in diverse letture gia' fatte, prima fra tutte 'Le braci' di Marai, e poi 'L'ora del diavolo' di Pessoa, ma anche la signorina Moidil che guarda dentro al suo magazzino nel 'Silenzio degli innocenti' e il segreto svelato da un manoscritto ne 'Il nome della rosa'. Sempre la ricerca e l'approfondimento della conoscenza personale che spesso conduce ad essere annientati dall'orrore che si trova. E nonostante l'argomento non sia nuovo, Perutz mi e' piaciuto - anche se sono stata leggermente generosa nell'attribuzione delle stellette - mi ha incuriosito, autore visto tra le scelte di diversi anobiiani a me vicini e per tale motivo riconosciuto ammiccante tra gli scaffali di una libreria di mare.
—Aprile
One afternoon, Eugene Bischoff, a notable Viennese stage actor, wanders off during a cordial afternoon of music among friends in order to successfully commit suicide. Or was it murder? Who is the Master of the Day of Judgment? Nothing is quite what it seems in Vienna in the early years of the twentieth century.Thus the story begins as a cracking "locked room" mystery, as exemplified by those of the great John Dickson Carr, only to rapidly transform into an hallucinogenic/psychological romp through the streets of pre-WWI Vienna. Though the solution to what is, ostensibly, the story's central problem, that of the dead actor, is alluded to early on, by a magnificent "slight of hand" Perutz keeps this open secret until the final pages of this engaging and bizarre tale.The dexterous handling and sheer craftsmanship of Perutz's novel is bound to satisfy many enthusiasts of both headlong mystery-adventure as well as those with developed taste in the best continental literature has to offer.
—Axolotl
Leo Perutz’s MASTER OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT (1921) is a mystery novel but not like any I’ve ever read before. When actor Eugen Bischoff is found shot dead in his home, an apparent suicide, the narrator, Baron von Yosch, is thought to have brought the suicide about, especially because he was once the lover of Bischoff’s wife.The wife’s brother, Felix, is convinced of Yosch’s guilt and thinks he can demonstrate it. Two of Yosch’s friends, however, believe in his innocence and set out to solve the mystery.Very soon, other similar suicides take place, thereby complicating the issue, and we are led through a series of bizarre and sometimes frightening episodes in the search for the truth.Although there is much emphasis on action and dialogue in the novel, Perutz’s real interest is human motivation and the degree to which character and chance intersect to determine our fate.
—Rick
