PatH.
I've' never heard the term "Judenfresser". It appalls me. There's a similar composite noun known from geography and anthropology : "Menschenfresser", literally 'people eaters'. The proper word in German is cannibals. I can't think of another combination with
... fresser. The term is crude and denotes an insult.
Hanna was surprised that Frau Zweig, the chief archivist of the museum, would be so young and hip; she even had a stud in her upturned nose (retrousse is upturned).
Interesting how adroitly GB weaved in cultural differences, for instance the caution with which a person's first name is used in Europe. It indicates a certain unexpected, sometimes unwanted familiarity. When German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was invited to the White House, President Jimmy Carter met him in the Oval Office, extending his hand and called him "Helmut". The Kanzler, a brilliant and rather formal man looked surprised.
Anti-semitism was rampant in Austria long before Hitler (who was born there) came to power in Germany.
Hanna mentions two possible reasons for the clumsy binding done in Vienna (page 97) : it may have been a petty natch because the manuscript had to be returned to Sarajevo, or the binder was an anti-semite.
It was clever of GB to refer to Arthur Schnitzler, who embodies the atmosphere of that era perfectly, the decadence and the waning power of the Habsburgs.
Son of a prominent Jewish family, Schnitzler was a playwright, novelist, short-storywriter and physician, trained in psychiatry. He was a contemporary of Freud, the two men knew of each other and would write favorably of the other's work. They lived only a short distance from each other, but they never met. Talk about formality! Like Freud, Schnitzler was interested in the hypnotic treatment of neurosis, especially hysteria. His drama Anatole deals with that theme.
BTW the proper spelling is Habsburg, with a 'b'. I can't imagine why a 'p' wold be there instead. It recurs, too, but no editor took notice.
Let me take this opportunity to repeat that a person who facilitates the conversation (the SPOKEN word) between parties who do not speak the same language is identified as an interpreter --- NOT a 'translator'.
A translator is a person who handles books, letters, documents of any kind and translates them word for word from one language into another (the WRITTEN word).
According to this distinction, the Irakis who ride in army jeeps and trucks and facilitate the ORAL communication between our troops and the native population are interpreters.
Just saw Fairanna's post regarding the Afterword. I agree with Anna.
