When Hitler marched into Vienna in March 1938, Egon Friedell jumped out of the window of his apartment. The writer, cabaret artist, and gifted actor tragically ended his unusual life in this way. Friedell was a "Viennese original." As a sharp-witted commentator, he delighted audiences with his brilliant punchlines. With his legendary "Cultural History of Modern Times," he secured his place in the pantheon of historiography. Saturated with linguistic wit and therefore already beyond academic confines, the work captivates with the unique perspective through which the author illuminates the development of Europe. Bernhard Viel explores Friedell's personality in his biography, which exhibited a double-edged and precarious character: traumatized since childhood, his unwanted Jewish identity intensified his inner conflicts.