On his frequent stays in Mallorca, Thomas Bernhard seized the opportunity to write, as is the case of Concrete where the island and Palma are present.
It was eighteen months since I’d been away anywhere. The last time had been to Palma, because I always regarded it as the most perfect place. In November, when the fog so cruelly oppresses and depresses us in Austria, I had run through the streets of Palma with an open-necked shirt and drunk my coffee every day in the shade of the plane trees on the famous Borne. And in Palma I’d been able to make my definitive notes on Reger. True, I later lost them, to this day I don’t know where, thus managing to destroy the fruits of two months’ intellectual effort trough a piece of gross carelessness. Quite unforgivable! Just to think that I might now be sitting on the terrace of the Nice Palma, eating my olives and drinking my glass of water, not just absorbed, but utterly captivated by the sight of the others on the terrace, who would be just as taken up with their own fancies and fantasies as I was with mine!
Concrete, 1982
Translated by Rachel Waters.
Heerlen (Holland) 1931 – Gmunden (Austria), 1989. A playwright, novelist and poet, considered to be one of Austria’s foremost writers from the second half of the 20th century, his work’s caustic ironic tone reflects Bernhard’s relationship with the world, characterized by continual touch-and-go situations over the years. His life story is told in five autobiographies where he recounts his experiences during the Second World War. As a result of these incidents, his work focused on the themes of existence and reality.
One of his novels, Concrete, is about a writer who is preparing an essay on the subject of a composer. In it, the city of Palma and island of Mallorca are featured, with positive perceptions of them, albeit not exempt of criticism. The 1981 documentary Monologue auf Mallorca testifies to Bernhard’s stays on the island, where on many occasions he took the opportunity to write.
One of the most journeyed parts of the city is the Born. In 1833, as part of one of the many alterations it has undergone, the Font de la Princesa (Princess Fountain, also known as the Tortoise Fountain) was opened and lions and sphinxes were added. The current aspect is the result of the changes that came from the Alomar plan in 1943, which significantly altered carrer de Jaume III. This created a wide street that linked the area of Santa Catalina with the centre of the city. Over the past few decades houses have been renovated, the usual cafés hosting discussions have been replaced by shops and today the Born is one of the luxury shopping areas of the city.
