The Cause and Its Consequences: In five narratives that blur the line between fiction and truth, Thomas Bernhard reveals how he became the writer he was – from childhood through his time at a boarding school in Salzburg, his apprenticeship and studies, to the isolation of the eighteen-year-old in a tuberculosis sanatorium. Those who wish to understand the world of Thomas Bernhard will find the key here: This is the story of a young person who has been trampled on by everyone, whether it be the city, its inhabitants, or relatives, it makes no difference.