Death of Virgil by Hermann Broch
The novel explores the final hours of the Roman poet Virgil, who, while on his deathbed, contemplates the value and impact of his life's work, particularly his unfinished epic, the Aeneid. The narrative is a complex, stream-of-consciousness meditation on art, life, and death, with Virgil wrestling with his desire to burn his epic and the emperor's command to preserve it. The book delves into themes of the meaning of human existence, the role of art in society, and the clash between the individual's inner world and the external world.
The 324th greatest book of all time
- Published
- 1945
- Nationality
- Austrian
- Type
- Fiction
- Pages
- 400-500
- Words
- 153,000
- Original Language
- German
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This book is on the following lists:
- 11th on The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Folha de São Paulo)
- 13th on El Pais Favorite Books of 100 Spanish Authors (El Pais)
- 15th on 100 Best Novels, in Translation, Since 1900 (CounterPunch)
- 72nd on 100 Essential Books (Bravo! Magazine)
- 855th on Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Tidningen Boken)