Roth makes no secret of his nostalgia for the liberal climate of the latter years of the Empire. Even some of the peripheral figures are beautifully sketched, such as Lieutenant Taittinger, 'whose single passion in life was the consumption of pastries.' The novel is peopled with memorable characters, such as the nonchalant Polish Count Chojnacki and the troubled Doctor Demant. Much of the The Radetzky March is focused on Carl von Trotta, who on joining the army, struggles to live up to the legend of his grandfather. Each chapter begins in grand style, like a galleon heading off on some worthy quest. The whole work has a dream-like quality, and there is a brooding sense of foreboding throughout. Ennobled by the Emperor, the Trottas become part of the establishment, but by this stage, the cosmopolitan empire is beginning to come apart at the seams.Īuthor Joseph Roth (1894-1939) is uncanny at evoking a sense of place, and Michael Hofman's translation has unveiled the novel to wonderfully lyrical effect. The Radetzky March follows the destiny of a family of humble Slovenian origins who rise to prominence through valour on the battlefield. Are the chaps with top hats and trombones playing 'The Radetzky March'?! Indeed, of all the novels that deal with the twilight of Habsburg rule, this one can lay a fair claim to being the best.Ībove: Emperor Franz Joseph, followed by the ill-starred Archduke Franz Ferdinand. As such, the novel would make for a fine companion to any journey through Central Europe, be you in Vienna, Krakow, Lviv or Ljubljana. Roth's tale may not be a swashbuckling romp to stamp your feet to, but like Strauss's hit, it glides across the Habsburg dominions, from Slovenia to Vienna and on into the farthermost fringes of Galicia. Johann Strauss Senior rustled up this rollicking tune, and a hundred years ago you could hear it in market towns the length and breadth of the Empire. Joseph Roth's novel takes its name from one of the jolliest marching tunes penned under the Habsburgs. The Radetzky March, by Joseph Roth (1932), translated by Michael Hofmann (2002)

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