Polarizing scandal author, classic of world literature, world-famous playwright, Austrian phenomenon: All this and much more was Thomas Bernhard, whose comprehensive biography is now available. Thomas Bernhard expert Manfred Mittermayer summarizes the life and work of the author into a grand narrative that spans from Bernhard's complex origins—his grandfather Johannes Freumbichler's family—to his early death after years of illness. Mittermayer intricately depicts the multifaceted public persona as well as the private stages of life, relating the essential prose works and plays to a life path that is inextricably linked to post-war history.