The Man Without Qualities
Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Robert Musil |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften |
| Language | German |
| Genre | Modernist novel, philosophical novel, historical novel |
| Publisher | Rowohlt Verlag |
Publication date | 1930–1943 |
| Publication place | Austria |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 1,130 (the core text); 1,774 (complete English translation) |
| LC Class | PT2625.U8 M3 |
The Man Without Qualities (German: Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften; 1930–1943) is an unfinished modernist novel in three volumes and various drafts, by the Austrian writer Robert Musil.
The novel is a "story of ideas", which takes place in the time of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy's last days, and the plot often veers into allegorical digressions on a wide range of existential themes concerning humanity and feelings. It has a particular concern with the values of truth and opinion and how society organizes ideas about life and society. The book is well over a thousand pages long in its entirety, and no one single theme dominates.