A grand hotel on the edge of the abyss? The phrase that provided the title and the agenda for steirischer herbst ’19 – Grand Hotel Abyss came from philosopher Georg Lukács. In the early 1930s he used this metaphor to describe the attitude of the European intellectual and cultural scene, which continued their hedonistic party uninhibited, despite the looming rise of fascism. This reader tracks these observations and explores the relevance of this historical context, as well as the significance of critical artistic attitudes, in the form of essays, artists’ texts, and numerous illustrations.

Grupa Ee (Mina Fina, Damjan Ilić, Ivian Kan Mujezinović)

DZA Druckerei zu Altenburg GmbH

steirischer herbst festival gmbh