Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
Serpent's Tail (2002), Paperback, 288 pages
Description
Deep passion, thwarted sexuality and love-hate for a mother dominate the life of Erika Kohut, a piano teacher at the Vienna Conservatory. Whilst her mother waits up for her, Erika Kohut trawls the porn shows of Vienna in search of tacky pleasure. Into this emotional pressure-cooker bounds Walter Klemmer, music student and ladies' man. As the relationship between teacher and pupil spirals downward, Jelinek paints a frightening picture of a woman consumed by the ecstacy of self-destruction. A best-seller in German - with sales of 100,000 copies -The Piano Teacher has been translated into French and Dutch and is currently being filmed.
User reviews
LibraryThing member thorold
This novel appeared in 1983 and was made into a film wih Isabelle Huppert in the title role in 2001. Possibly because of the success of the film, it seems to be Jelinek's best-known work among English-speaking readers. The central character is a woman in her mid-thirties trapped in a closed,
The novel is a savage, disturbing, but often also very funny satire that tries to dismantle our ideological assumptions about family relationships, love, sex, high culture and outdoor sport. Jelinek writes from a decidedly Marxist-feminist point of view, in which everything turns out to be ultimately about money, power and violence. But this isn't a dour political tract. Jelinek keeps us on our toes by constantly shifting the narrator's tone and style around, until we have no idea from where we are looking at Erika. Sometimes the language is mildly ironic, sometimes it's lyrical, sometimes analytically bureaucratic. But whenever you think you know where you are, that's when the narrator will swing round and hit you with something that looks unbelievably crude, shocking, and out-of-context, but is also undeniably completely true. She pulls the rug out from under us by telling us about things that we know (but don't want to acknowledge) would happen in that situation in real life, but which seem completely out of place in a novel. Definitely not an easy or a comfortable read, but a very rewarding one.
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possessive relationship with her elderly mother and a sterile career teaching students the mechanical process of interpreting music according to a set of predefined rules. If she were English, she would be a character in a wistfully ironic novel by Barbara Pym or Elizabeth Taylor. However, she doesn't have that luxury, but instead tries to break out by realising her violent and transgressive sexual fantasies, with disastrous results.The novel is a savage, disturbing, but often also very funny satire that tries to dismantle our ideological assumptions about family relationships, love, sex, high culture and outdoor sport. Jelinek writes from a decidedly Marxist-feminist point of view, in which everything turns out to be ultimately about money, power and violence. But this isn't a dour political tract. Jelinek keeps us on our toes by constantly shifting the narrator's tone and style around, until we have no idea from where we are looking at Erika. Sometimes the language is mildly ironic, sometimes it's lyrical, sometimes analytically bureaucratic. But whenever you think you know where you are, that's when the narrator will swing round and hit you with something that looks unbelievably crude, shocking, and out-of-context, but is also undeniably completely true. She pulls the rug out from under us by telling us about things that we know (but don't want to acknowledge) would happen in that situation in real life, but which seem completely out of place in a novel. Definitely not an easy or a comfortable read, but a very rewarding one.
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LibraryThing member jburlinson
This is probably Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek’s most famous novel. Here she creates an arena in which three characters -- Erica, the teacher of the title, Erica’s mother, and Erica’s prize pupil, a young engineering student named Klemmer – stalk and attack each other to the ultimate
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benefit of nobody. There is a fourth person who cannot be ignored – the unnamed narrator, who it is difficult not to identify as Jelinek herself. Each of the characters' thoughts and feelings are dutifully provided to the reader, but only after being deconstructed, to the character’s disadvantage, by the narrator, who relentlessly strips away all pretense and self-delusion. Jelinek employs multiple techniques in this implacable exercise in ridicule, and this is where her considerable artistry is most on display. Probably the most obvious weapon in her arsenal is in tacking some cliché or banality onto her characters’ sentiments, but she has many more subtle strategies for degradation; I can’t itemize them all in this limited space. There is no direct speech. The book proceeds primarily by offering the characters' perceptions as reified by the narrator. The plot builds inexorably toward three climactic (I use this word ironically) scenes compounded of extreme sexual frustration and violence, the last of which involves all three characters. I have read that Jelinek’s ultimate intention is to satirize the flimsiness and hypocrisy of contemporary Austria. I’m not competent to judge her success in accomplishing that goal. What I can say is that she is the mistress of scorn, and she gives us an authentic depiction of the mentality of the damned. Show Less
LibraryThing member lriley
Maybe the signature work of the Austrian Nobelist--The Piano teacher is certainly a unique look under the covers of sexual repression. Jelinek's prosestyle seems to have much in common with her fellow Austrian Thomas Bernhard--it oozes out with an almost misanthropic intent. Erika and her mother
Erika's confusion over what she ever wanted, her day to day resentments, her own self abuse (she often privately cuts or otherwise hurts herself), her dependency on a dominating figure, her feelings of frustration and hatred towards the otherwise normal people that surround her every day in Vienna--a city rich in culture in which with her talent she should shine is all part of the bleak background of a damaged life. Rendered in a blackly humorous prose and with a kind of exasperated sarcasm boiling beneath the surface Jelinek clearly shows why she's regarded so highly by many of her peers. Now and again though while reading this I did get a little bored. 280 pages of anger and resentment have to be treated very carefully. At times when her black humor takes the back seat it can be a bit much. Thankfully that is not all that often and this is a book I would very much recommend.
One other note: though it may not have any bearing on the author's own life there are elements of this novel that seem to conform to her own background.
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live in an apartment in Vienna. Erika has a room but no bed--she sleeps with her mother. Mama controls almost every aspect of Erika's life. Erika has reached her mid 30's and is a music professor and piano teacher. She is also a virgin seething beneath the control her mother exerts over her life. Buying clothes that she never wears that her Mother ridicules. Erika is an emotional mess and her Mother plays on these emotions like a virtuoso performer. Into theirs lives comes one Walter Klemmer--an athelete, womanizer and an excellent musician in his own right. Though much younger than Erika--Walter decides on a program to seduce Erika, have an affair and then as is his past practice, dump her and go on to newer and greener pastures. Little does he know that behind Erika's repressed facade lurks a secret fantasy life that yearns to be completely dominated, abused and abased. Erika agrees to become his lover (cutting her mother brutally out of her life) on condition that he treat her like a 'thing'--that he torture and abuse her body. She spells these out in a letter that leaves Walter completely non-plussed. He--thinking it is some kind of a sick joke walks away initially but confronted by Erika later on--tries but fails to have sex with her. This failure throws him into doubts about himself--resulting finally by stoking his almost inhuman rage in the last pages--finally bursting into Erika's apartment--locking Erika's mother in her bedroom, and beating Erika severely (broken nose and a broken rib) and then raping her. Erika's confusion over what she ever wanted, her day to day resentments, her own self abuse (she often privately cuts or otherwise hurts herself), her dependency on a dominating figure, her feelings of frustration and hatred towards the otherwise normal people that surround her every day in Vienna--a city rich in culture in which with her talent she should shine is all part of the bleak background of a damaged life. Rendered in a blackly humorous prose and with a kind of exasperated sarcasm boiling beneath the surface Jelinek clearly shows why she's regarded so highly by many of her peers. Now and again though while reading this I did get a little bored. 280 pages of anger and resentment have to be treated very carefully. At times when her black humor takes the back seat it can be a bit much. Thankfully that is not all that often and this is a book I would very much recommend.
One other note: though it may not have any bearing on the author's own life there are elements of this novel that seem to conform to her own background.
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LibraryThing member lauralkeet
This review will be very, very short, because I really disliked this book and was unable to finish it. Erika Korhut is a young woman who, having failed in pursuit of a career as a concert pianist, now teaches piano in Vienna. She lives with her domineering mother who controls every aspect of
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Erika's life. Erika has no friends, and no romantic relationships, and her mother ensures it stays that way. At the time I abandoned this book, Erika was already engaged in self-destructive behavior, which was about to continue through a relationship with one of her students. But I found the characters lacked depth and were completely dispicable. I didn't care what happened to Erika and was really disappointed by this work from a Nobel prize-winning author. Show Less
LibraryThing member kidzdoc
This must be the worst book written by a Nobel Prize winning author in the history of the award. The main character is thoroughly petty and dislikable, and the sex and violence in the book are incredibly vulgar. This novel is a memorable one for me, but for the wrong reasons.
LibraryThing member Othemts
Erika Kohut is a woman in her mid-thirties who teaches piano at the prestigious Vienna Conservatory. She lives with her controlling mother in a very taught and unhealthy relationship. Erika rebels in various including buying clothing she never wears, self-harm, and deliberately injuring strangers.
Walter Klemmer, a student over a decade younger than Erika, begins to show her attention. Their desire grows and when they finally acknowledge it, Erika requests a sadomasochistic relationship. Walter, who is an arrogant prick, really justs wants to have sex with an older woman and move on. Things go horribly, horribly wrong.
I saw this book described as "erotic" but there's absolutely nothing sexy about it. In fact, it is quite repulsive. Jelinek seems to revel in using the most unpleasant description possible for the human condition and the human body. It just gets worse and worse and I really struggled to finish this book. I've also seen the book described as "satire," but it reads to me as nothing more than caustic misanthropy.
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Over the course of the novel she also explores her repressed sexuality by going to pornographic movies, peep shows, and practicing voyeurism.Walter Klemmer, a student over a decade younger than Erika, begins to show her attention. Their desire grows and when they finally acknowledge it, Erika requests a sadomasochistic relationship. Walter, who is an arrogant prick, really justs wants to have sex with an older woman and move on. Things go horribly, horribly wrong.
I saw this book described as "erotic" but there's absolutely nothing sexy about it. In fact, it is quite repulsive. Jelinek seems to revel in using the most unpleasant description possible for the human condition and the human body. It just gets worse and worse and I really struggled to finish this book. I've also seen the book described as "satire," but it reads to me as nothing more than caustic misanthropy.
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LibraryThing member cataryna
I have very mixed feelings about this book. While the story is engaging, in a dark, demented sort of way, I found I stumbled through a lot of it due to the writing style, particularly the totally unorganized paragraphical structure. If I look beyond the writing style I find a main character who,
I feel that if the writing style had been better I would have enjoyed the book a lot more.
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due to a lifetime of being dominated by her overbearing and cruel mother, seeks to be further dominated by her lover, Walter Klemmer in a sado-masochistic sexual relationship. While it might appear that Walter is the one doing the dominating, in reality it is Erika, as she is the one giving the orders as to what is to be done to her. Erika's attempt at controlling that previously unexplored aspect of her life fails miserably.I feel that if the writing style had been better I would have enjoyed the book a lot more.
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LibraryThing member JoLynnsbooks
A fascinating book albeit in a train wreck, can't-look-away vein. Erica, a piano teacher at a University in Austria, and a failed concert pianist, is fast approaching middle age. Dominated by her overly possessive mother, she relieves her boredom and disappointment through voyeurism and
Not for the faint of heart, an unflinching look into the minds of three damaged personalities - each one trying to come out on top.
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self-mutilation. When a much younger student shows an interest in her, Erica takes a stab at escaping her isolated life with Mother. Will she succeed this time? Not for the faint of heart, an unflinching look into the minds of three damaged personalities - each one trying to come out on top.
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LibraryThing member LovingLit
The piano teacher is Erika. She lives with her cold and controlling mother. Their relationship is dysfunctional, physically abusive and emotionally manipulative. It is also a co-dependent relationship and like nothing I have ever read or witnessed. But it does go a long way in explaining how there
Erika is and has been under her mothers control since childhood. Although she is now an adult and her mother elderly, Erika must be home on time and if out, will be phoned many times. Partly her mother does this to be sure of Erika's safety but mostly to assert her control over her daughter and to maintain ownership of her life. Erika's strict upbringing within a training regime to become a concert pianist is the guise under which this level of control has been allowed to escalate.
When Erika finds a student has an interest in her, she sees an opportunity to explore the self-loathing (see quote) part of herself even more, and to see if her admirer will partake.
"Rot between her legs, an unfeeling soft mass. Decay, putrescent lumps of organic material. No spring breezes awaken anything. It is a dull pile of petty wishes and mediocre desires, afraid of coming true." (p 197)
Unable to express herself other than through anger or pain, she makes this request by a lengthy and disturbingly specific letter. Klemmer, her much younger suitor, is thrilled by the chase, but has neither the emotional maturity to respond to her requests appropriately, nor the restraint to hold back his anger.
"Klemmer feels superior to other night people, who are wandering along, holding some lady's hands. He feels superior to them because his anger is a lot hotter than the fire of love." (p 252)
The resulting fiasco is possibly the most intense and disturbing piece of writing I have read. The kinds of pain Erika wishes on herself is fairly revolting and I cant help but fear that some type of person reading it would use it as justification for physical attacks. Nevertheless, people use all sorts of ways to achieve sexual gratification in a consensual manner, and this part of the story was interesting for that aspect.
The narrative was so distinctive with every comment adding more and more to flesh out the character until you feel that you are bizarrely in the know with regards to their intentions and actions.
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are some very messed up people out there.Erika is and has been under her mothers control since childhood. Although she is now an adult and her mother elderly, Erika must be home on time and if out, will be phoned many times. Partly her mother does this to be sure of Erika's safety but mostly to assert her control over her daughter and to maintain ownership of her life. Erika's strict upbringing within a training regime to become a concert pianist is the guise under which this level of control has been allowed to escalate.
When Erika finds a student has an interest in her, she sees an opportunity to explore the self-loathing (see quote) part of herself even more, and to see if her admirer will partake.
"Rot between her legs, an unfeeling soft mass. Decay, putrescent lumps of organic material. No spring breezes awaken anything. It is a dull pile of petty wishes and mediocre desires, afraid of coming true." (p 197)
Unable to express herself other than through anger or pain, she makes this request by a lengthy and disturbingly specific letter. Klemmer, her much younger suitor, is thrilled by the chase, but has neither the emotional maturity to respond to her requests appropriately, nor the restraint to hold back his anger.
"Klemmer feels superior to other night people, who are wandering along, holding some lady's hands. He feels superior to them because his anger is a lot hotter than the fire of love." (p 252)
The resulting fiasco is possibly the most intense and disturbing piece of writing I have read. The kinds of pain Erika wishes on herself is fairly revolting and I cant help but fear that some type of person reading it would use it as justification for physical attacks. Nevertheless, people use all sorts of ways to achieve sexual gratification in a consensual manner, and this part of the story was interesting for that aspect.
The narrative was so distinctive with every comment adding more and more to flesh out the character until you feel that you are bizarrely in the know with regards to their intentions and actions.
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LibraryThing member lit_chick
"Trust is fine, but control is better." (5, 198)
The Piano Teacher is a read like none other I've experienced. Its subject matter is dark, and Jelinek's portrayal is stark, and powerful. This translation is top-notch. The writing is clear, crisp, and engaging.
Erika Kohut is the eponymous
Erika's response to her existence is, understandably, self-loathing. She self-mutilates and further acts out by exerting absolute control over whatever she can. She is cruel and demanding with her students, and takes pleasure in inflicting pain on others. Erika begins to frequent seedy pornographic theatres and live sex shows on her way home from work. When her student, Walter Klemmer, expresses interest in her, she looks to sadomasochism to feed her self-loathing and establish ultimate control.
Jelink is masterful in her portrayal of Erika. While my usual response to such complete submission in a character would be disdain, I felt none of this for Erika. Her experience was so devoid of human emotion, it simply was not possible to feel indifferent toward her. On the contrary, I understood and was empathetic towards her servility.
Not recommended for readers who may be offended by blatant sexuality.
The Piano Teacher is a read like none other I've experienced. Its subject matter is dark, and Jelinek's portrayal is stark, and powerful. This translation is top-notch. The writing is clear, crisp, and engaging.
Erika Kohut is the eponymous
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protagonist. She is in her late thirties, a professor of music at the prestigious Vienna Conservatory. She lives with her abusive, controlling mother who lives vicariously through her daughter. Mama has "adopted an ambition as her own child." (162) Erika was to have been a concert pianist but failed to achieve this goal; mama reminds her of this failure often. She micro-controls every aspect of her daughter's life.Erika's response to her existence is, understandably, self-loathing. She self-mutilates and further acts out by exerting absolute control over whatever she can. She is cruel and demanding with her students, and takes pleasure in inflicting pain on others. Erika begins to frequent seedy pornographic theatres and live sex shows on her way home from work. When her student, Walter Klemmer, expresses interest in her, she looks to sadomasochism to feed her self-loathing and establish ultimate control.
Jelink is masterful in her portrayal of Erika. While my usual response to such complete submission in a character would be disdain, I felt none of this for Erika. Her experience was so devoid of human emotion, it simply was not possible to feel indifferent toward her. On the contrary, I understood and was empathetic towards her servility.
Not recommended for readers who may be offended by blatant sexuality.
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LibraryThing member Rocky_Wing
a disturbing (but possibly realistic) view of a young lady who has love and lust mixed in a viscous death dance. it seems like she is constantly swinging between the extremes of control and submission, punishment on self and then toward others, self loathing and pride, seeking approval and complete
we could blame the controlling, over obsessive mother or her slightly deranged non-existent father. yet even when she is left to herself, believing that she is free, she is not. for even in her breaking away, she is chained to her dark, lustful soul.
i am at a loss as to whether i liked the story or not (for who could flippantly say such a thing about this writing). i know for sure that i didn't appreciate how she wrote. something in the rhythm, the timing, the flipping back from past to present, the lack of quotation marks (making it hard to distinguish what is actually said and what is thought and who is saying . . .) was more of a barrier to me than an artistic help.
the more i read, i'm finding that i just click with certain voices, certain styles, certain tones. not so with this one.
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autonomy. perhaps she shows the worst in all of us. that she will never have a normal, healthy, truly loving (others centered, self sacrificing(not mutilating) relationship could be the saddest attribute she carries.we could blame the controlling, over obsessive mother or her slightly deranged non-existent father. yet even when she is left to herself, believing that she is free, she is not. for even in her breaking away, she is chained to her dark, lustful soul.
i am at a loss as to whether i liked the story or not (for who could flippantly say such a thing about this writing). i know for sure that i didn't appreciate how she wrote. something in the rhythm, the timing, the flipping back from past to present, the lack of quotation marks (making it hard to distinguish what is actually said and what is thought and who is saying . . .) was more of a barrier to me than an artistic help.
the more i read, i'm finding that i just click with certain voices, certain styles, certain tones. not so with this one.
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LibraryThing member kuniyoshi
One of the best translations I've ever encountered in terms of taking a work and keeping it entertaining rather than making it strictly an accurate transformation of syntax. The swarming words frame each scene, again and again, in sometimes humorous and frequently horrifying terms. This is the
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story of a woman cut off from the world, whose secret ambition is, like all of us, to be loved. Her attempts to manifest her needs in the real world end up getting in the way of what she really wants. In trying to draw out love from one of her adult-students, she discovers in him a horrible abomination brought about by his own impatience, arrogance and wounded pride. She uses the wrong tools on the wrong tool, so to speak. This is not an easy book to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
This book is definitely not for the faint of heart nor the judgmental. Jelinek tackles a difficult subject: when does hate become love or love become hate? Do we even know what those jumbles of emotion mean? Fetishism pulls on the hard line that some pain is an expression of love, but when does it
Jelinek has a powerful writing style which brings pure poetry to such a dark and sticky topic. It is not an easy read but a fascinating one.
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become an expression of hate and disdain? Erika is the troubled outsider who seeks the explore that fine demarcation, one that Walter does not understand: he is too much in the world, or perhaps just too young, to explore the depth of the human psyche the way Erika wishes him to.Jelinek has a powerful writing style which brings pure poetry to such a dark and sticky topic. It is not an easy read but a fascinating one.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
This review may contain spoilers.
Whee! I did it. I finished. This book, The Piano Teacher by the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Austrian author Elfriede Jelinek, is a tough read. I think Ms Jelinek is a powerful writer but I did not enjoy this story of Erika Kohut, a piano teacher
Whee! I did it. I finished. This book, The Piano Teacher by the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Austrian author Elfriede Jelinek, is a tough read. I think Ms Jelinek is a powerful writer but I did not enjoy this story of Erika Kohut, a piano teacher
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at the Vienna Conservatory. Erika lives with her mother who controls Erika's every move. Walter Klemmer is one of Erika's piano students. Walter wants Erika but only for the chase. This is a story of control. It is not an easy read and I could not recommend it to anyone as an enjoyable read but if you want to read a book that is repulsive in every way, filled with sadomasochism, and possibly could be considered erotica. This is the book for you. It is a 1001 Book so if your working on that list, here's one that you may want to consider. I gave it 3 stars because I did appreciate the author's literary talent or as described by The Nobel Prize Academy, "extraordinary linguistic zeal". Erika the protagonist has learned to be in control. She needs to control by pain because that is what she knows. Her mother has taught her well. She has not learned of love that is free of pain. She doesn't even know how to be a lover but has a great desire for sexual release (the urinating, I think, is a picture of orgasm) but I could be wrong. This story is so very awful on so many levels, these characters have no redeeming qualities. You are left feeling like you are covered in the grime of mud, feces, urine, saliva, and blood. Show Less
LibraryThing member lethalmauve
A uniquely structured but uneven novel that largely deals with control, The Piano Teacher operates through childhood trauma and sexual repression underneath its series of masochistic degradation and violation. In this mother-daughter relationship moulded from unhealthy dependencies, a seemingly
Behind the voyeuristic nature of the narrative which at times is horrific, even revolting, a gamut of loneliness runs its course amidst Erika’s filthy actions. There is a painful attempt at trying to take back any kind of control for one’s own sanity, however drastic, in any way possible. And it may be that even sanity loses itself in the process. The result is a dismal self-infliction. Adulthood is only a childhood warped in its worsened state with a worse outcome ("I have no feelings. Get that into your head. If I ever do, they won't defeat my intelligence"). It suggests a cycle without an end so long as loneliness is (un)successfully alleviated by dangerously pleasure-seeking comforts and consumingly fatal / foetal type of reliance. The possession of self-identity is lost or rather nonexistent in the first place. Art becomes a malady instead of a therapy; classical music will definitely never be the same.
(This is certainly one of the few instances where I prefer the film from the book. The outstanding Isabelle Huppert under Michael Haneke’s direction has made an easily detestable character into a much conflicted and complex woman.)
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omniproof protection asphyxiates the prey: the middle-aged daughter Erika Kohut who does not have a life of her own outside her piano lessons. What seems to be a maternal preservation of innocence becomes a descent to self-destruction; and what seems to be the appealing notion of parental trust becomes a game of manipulation. Whilst this habitual power trip also tips the already off-balanced relationship it further plunges down with the arrival of a student who becomes infatuated with Erika. A cat-and-mouse chase ensues until it reveals itself to be another, but much perverse, game of manipulation. "Love" has a deformed face. Who shall be in control this time?Behind the voyeuristic nature of the narrative which at times is horrific, even revolting, a gamut of loneliness runs its course amidst Erika’s filthy actions. There is a painful attempt at trying to take back any kind of control for one’s own sanity, however drastic, in any way possible. And it may be that even sanity loses itself in the process. The result is a dismal self-infliction. Adulthood is only a childhood warped in its worsened state with a worse outcome ("I have no feelings. Get that into your head. If I ever do, they won't defeat my intelligence"). It suggests a cycle without an end so long as loneliness is (un)successfully alleviated by dangerously pleasure-seeking comforts and consumingly fatal / foetal type of reliance. The possession of self-identity is lost or rather nonexistent in the first place. Art becomes a malady instead of a therapy; classical music will definitely never be the same.
(This is certainly one of the few instances where I prefer the film from the book. The outstanding Isabelle Huppert under Michael Haneke’s direction has made an easily detestable character into a much conflicted and complex woman.)
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1983 (original German)
1988 (English: Neugroschel)
Physical description
288 p.; 7.7 inches
ISBN
1852427507 / 9781852427504