Set partly in the Berlin of 1888, this is the first volume of Broch's magnificent trilogy The Sleepwalkers. First published in 1930 The Romantic explores the nervy consciousness of Joachim, a young soldier dithering between contrasting notions of love. When not analysing his desire for the willing young chorus girl Ruzena and his lack of feeling for the coolly beautiful Elizabeth, he is mesmerised by his growing disgust for his father. In the midst of all this angst is Bertrand, a destructive and influential merchant friend. Certainly the most engaging of the three books, it is also highly atmospheric, while Broch's feel for irony, characterisation and social nuance achieve perfection. For all the trauma, illness and confusion, it is also very funny. The bewildered Joachim proves a surprisingly sympathetic anti-hero and his exchanges with the equally perplexed Elizabeth, particularly in the sequence featuring an upsetting shadow cast by a pillow, have the bizarre ring of truth. Should you forget 95 per cent of everything you have ever read, remember this dazzling study of apathy and chaos by this wonderful Viennese writer, a European master.
