The wand | Marlen Haushofer

Marlen Haushofer's book De wand, published by Uitgeverij Orlando, is a classic of post-war Austrian literature. Marlen Haushofer (1920-1970) was an Austrian writer whose work saw a revival only after her death, partly thanks to the feminist themes that emerge in her oeuvre.

De wand (1963), translated by Ria van Hengel, explores the inner world of a woman who finds herself trapped in the Austrian mountains after an invisible, impenetrable wall has loomed up out of nowhere. All life behind the wall has died out. In the company of a dog, a cow and a cat, the woman tries to survive. She scours the forest in search of edible plants and hunts. To keep from going mad with her own thoughts and loneliness, she writes. With crystal clarity, she recounts her daily struggle with the elements and with herself.