Claudio Magris' book about the Habsburg myth has itself become a myth in the forty years since its inception, a life story of its author, and indeed a map of his intellectual and cultural geography, as Magris writes in the preface to the new edition. In six chapters - from the time of Maria Theresa through Nestroy and Grillparzer to Hofmannsthal, Kraus, and Musil - the then 20-year-old from Trieste traced the history of Habsburg culture and sought to find a grand line amidst the diversity. Magris' highly discussed book thus laid the foundation for the rediscovery of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, its cultural continuities, and political ruptures. New, revised edition.