An attempt to portray the horror of certain men's brutal sexual domination of women, this novel by theGermanauthor ofThe Piano Teachertells the story ofGerti, a woman who turns in revulsion from her husband to a younger man, only to discover that he too wishes to treat her unkindly. In a quaintAustrianski resort, things are not quite what they seem.Hermann, the manager of a paper mill, has decided that sexual gratification begins at home. Which meansGerti– his wife & property.Gertiis not asked how she feels about the useHermannputs her to. She is a receptacle into whichHermannpours his juices, nastily, briefly, brutally. The long-suffering & batteredGertithinks she has found her saviour and love inMichael, a student who rescues her after a day of vigorous use by her husband. ButMichaelis on his way up theAustrianpolitical ladder, & he is, after all, a man. InElfriede Jelinek'smitteleuropa, love is as distant from sex as theAlpsare from the sea, & the everyday mechanics of husband, wife, & child, become a loveless horror. Both a condemnation of the myth of romantic love & an angry defence of women's sexuality,Lustis pornography for pessimists. A bestseller throughoutEurope,LustconformsElfriede Jelinekas the most challenging writer – female or male – inEuropetoday. It is a dark, dazzling performance.°°°Elfriede Jelinekwas born in1946& grew up inVienna. She has received numerous awards for her literary works, which include not only novels but also plays, poetry, essays, translations, radio plays, screenplays & opera librettos. Her awards include theGeorg Büchner Prize& theFranz Kafka Prize for Literature. She was awarded theNobel Prize in Literaturein2004for her ‘musical flow of voices & counter-voices in novels & plays that, with extraordinary linguistic zeal, reveal the absurdity of society’s clichés & their subjugating power’.