About “Short Letter, Long Farewell”
In Der kurze Brief zum langen Abschied, a 1972 novel by Peter Handke, a young Austrian man travels across the United States while fleeing from and searching for his wife, Judith. During his journey, he meets Claire and participates in a discussion about the relationship between theater and reality after a performance of Schiller’s Don Carlos. He also encounters his brother, who remains deeply connected to his childhood, and speaks with John Ford about nature and history. The protagonist’s sadness and sense of hopelessness contrast with the different rhythms and lifestyles of the foreign country. The novel is a contemporary coming-of-age story, blending the adventure of a separation with the tension of a detective story.
Praise for “Short Letter, Long Farewell”
“The three works comprising Slow Homecoming are closer to a true dialectic than Handke’s work has ever before sought.”
“This is a postmodernism in its most exciting and challenging form, a work of literature that makes the redefinition of reality and of fiction a possibility.”
“Handke’s self-portrait of the artist [leaves] us with doubts that can only be induced by the work of a totally serious major artist.”
Book details
- Published
- 2009
- Latest edition
- 2009 · ISBN 9781590173060
- ISBN
- 9781590173060
View more editions (4)
| Cover | Edition | Year | ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Short letter, long farewell | 2009 | 9781590173060 | Buy on Amazon |
| | Short letter, long farewell | 1978 | 0860720519 | Buy on Amazon |
| Short Letter, Long Farewell | 1974 | 9781466807037 | Buy on Amazon | |
 | Short letter, long farewell. | 1974 | 0374263183 | Buy on Amazon |
Frequently asked questions
How many pages is Short Letter, Long Farewell?
Short Letter, Long Farewell by Peter Handke has 167 pages.
More by Peter Handke
Book descriptions, author biographies, award records and review quotes on this page are courtesy of Penguin Random House.