The Austrians

By Louis James

What makes the Austrians AUSTRIAN: A guide that delves into their cultural curiosities and intriguing characteristics.

In Austria piety co-exists with wealth in a manner calculated to do minimal injury to the image of either.

Reviews

‘Louis James really knows his stuff. This is an excellent little book, knowledgeable, full of insights, and wittily entertaining without being condescending in any way. I know Austria and the Austrians well, and cannot fault this at all. I ended up wishing for more, but brevity is the soul of wit, after all! Brilliant.’ Reviewed by an avid reader
‘This book is soooo true!! I am an Austrian myself, at the moment living in the United States, and came across this book via my boss, who is an Austria aficionado. I think I rarely ever enjoyed a book that much. To everyone who ever spent some time in my country and got to love its many peculiarities, this will be a great souvenir / gift!!!’ Reviewer from Milwaukee, USA
‘I am a South African, living in Austria, Having lived here for 4 years, I can relate to the book very well, the author has done a brilliant job of characterising the Austrians and has answered a few questions which have been bothering me.’ Reviewed by ‘Gasson’
‘An amusing rib-tickling read, where some keen observations ring true to those who have spent time in Austria. It requires considerable skill to give a balanced version of the truth without giving offence … this book succeeds.’ Reviewed by Laddie from Manchester
‘I lived in Austria last year. A good friend of mine used to make fun of some of the ridiculous things the Austrians do, but this book tells you WHY. Reading the book will forewarn some, but I think it’s better to have lived there for a while to understand what it’s talking about. Then it’ll be an even better laugh.’ Reviewer from Edinburgh

If you would like to comment or submit a review on the Xenophobe’s Guide to the Austrians please do so in the box to the right.

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Links to make you laugh

Translating expressions word for word into another language seldom works, especially if the expressions are Austrian. Chances are you will be met with befuddled looks or weird laughter, rather like a human version of google translate.

Did you know these intriguing facts about Austria?

And here are some more thoughts on Austria and It’s People

About the author

Louis James has spent some 25 more or less fruitful years in contemplation of Homo austriacus. Despite being in daily contact with the species, he suspects that it is easier to describe the yeti (on which there is no verifiable information), than the Austrian (on which there is far too much, all of it contradictory). Notwithstanding this difficulty he has conducted many hours of diligent field work in cafés, winecellars, etc., refining his impressions for the present study, and was gratified to discover that many Austrian friends and acquaintances were prepared to assist selflessly with this.

Since settling in Vienna he has written regular reports on the Central European enigma, chiefly in the hope that sooner or later he will discover a new key to it (the old one having been thrown into the Danube some time ago). If, as seems likely, his efforts in this regard are crowned with failure, he anticipates that few will notice the fact but he will be considerably more popular with those who do.