TYNNER

Author: Ulrike Längle
Year: 1996
Publisher: Collection S. Fischer
Language: German

Ennui. That frozen prison of aimless inanity. That subtle whisper of misery in the theatre of existential despair. That “feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do”*. It is a state all too familiar to most of us who have survived the slings and arrows of adolescence and entered through the gates of broken promises into the desert of mundanity.

Many classic works of fiction have grappled with the concept of ennui. Albert Camus’ “The Outsider” (see my review from April 2023) examines the most extreme forms of complete indifference and other famous novels such as “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald explore the lengths to which the affluent go to fill the gaping hollow of an existence effectively devoid of pursuit. In non-fiction, Victor Frankl’s monumental body of work on the subject is second to none and is frequently cited among books that will change your life.

Ulrike Längle, an Austrian literary critic, university lecturer, and author, contributes to the contemplation on ennui through her concise novel, "Tynner." The narrative unfolds around Tynner, a middle-aged university reader in literary studies. Socially inept and markedly aloof, his limited engagements extend to perfunctory meetings with Mynner, a companion with whom connections seem sustained more by obligation than genuine affinity, and an awareness of his cleaning lady's presence, discernible solely through the sounds of her labour while he remains cloistered in his bedroom. Tynner’s ongoing project is the book that he is writing on the rift in the fabric of society.

As the layers of Tynner's existence unfold, we as readers realise that the greater his perceived discontent, the more enviable and gratifying his life becomes to external observers. He travels to foreign lands, engages in stimulating conversations, he dines at excellent restaurants and savours exquisite wines, he commands the allegiance of a friend ever-ready to avail himself for meetings, enjoys familial care, boasts robust health, and maintains financial prosperity. Paradoxically, he remains gripped by an overarching sense of misery, ensnared in the web of ennui.

There are several humorous episodes in the book wherein Tynner endeavours to liberate himself from his imagined malaise, yet paradoxically recoils when his miserable condition is jeopardised by the interventions of friends and family. It is only when he takes his fate in his own hands that he is finally saved. And salvation seems to have been on his doorstep the entire time.

Längle's novella appears to convey a subtle yet profound message: in the privileged landscapes of the Western world, many possess the prerequisites for happiness, or at least contentment and ease, only to grapple with some variation of self-imposed melancholy. Could it be that individuals, ourselves included, bear a burden of perceived failure, overlooking the myriad blessings that life bestows and which, if absent, would fundamentally change the nature, and our experience, of our unhappiness?

Längle's prose is as simple as it is straightforward and encapsulates an almost maternal sentiment for the protagonist. While not a pivotal piece of literature, and despite Längle's respectable role as the custodian of the Franz-Michael-Felder Archives in Bregenz, her personal contributions, including "Tynner," appear to occupy a relatively modest niche in the annals of 20th-century literature. Hesitating to diminish the significance or craftsmanship of "Tynner," it stands as a work of ordinary, albeit entertaining, literary quality suited for casual perusal. This may sound depressing in the ears of an author, and yet more than three decades after the book was published in Austria, somewhere in far off Scandinavia a banker is reading and pondering on it and inviting the readers of this blog to discuss its content. And that is more than most aspiring authors ever accomplish. Tynner may never have, but at least his creator actually finished her book on the rift in the fabric of society.

* The Cambridge Online Dictionary