The Play of the Eyes

This is the third part of Canetti's autobiography. This book finds the author still in his twenties, having been cooped up in a bedsitter on the outskirts of Vienna working on his novel "Auto De Fe". Canetti depicts the intellectual life of the leading bars and cafes of Vienna and creates portraits of many of the leading figures of his day including Herman Broch, Robert Musil, Fritz Wortuba, Alban Berg and Alma Mahler. Central to this book is Canetti's account of his friendship with the mysterious Dr Sonne, a mentor whose effect on his life and work was enormous. From the author of "The Conscience of Words", "The Tongue Set Free" and "The Torch in my Ear".