“Our Grandfathers Are Our Teachers”: Thomas Bernhard and His Grandfather Johannes Freumbichler By Caroline Markolin, Translated by Petra Hartwig

In literary reference works Johannes Freumbichler is most often mentioned with only a few lines: born in 1881, died in 1949; regional poet; 1937 Austrian State Prize for Literature. He would probably have faded into oblivion if it were not for Thomas Bernhard's autobiographical works, in which he writes about his grandfather, the "one human being of essential importance in my life and existence," and "my only teacher." From Freumbichler's letters preserved in Salzburg the author has created a portrait of the man and writer.
Previously, the far-reaching extent of Johannes Freumbichler's influence on his grandson Thomas Bernhard could only be deduced from Bernhard's highly stylized literary works. For the first time this book documents conclusively the biographical dimension of Bernhard's writing.