On September 23rd, 2025, the UC Berkeley Department of German welcomed Professor Juliane Werner, senior lecturer at the comparative literature department at the University of Vienna and a postdoctoral researcher at the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities at the Austrian Academy of Science, to present a reading from Thomas Bernhard. The lecture brought insights into Austrian novelist Thomas Bernhard’s influence upon contemporary literature, examining how his stylistic eccentricities and philosophical provocations united authors across
borders.
Werner discussed Thomas Bernhard’s early literary conviction, highlighting his belief that his craft could not be successfully replicated due to his unique style. Ironically, his work sparked much widespread imitation, having the most traction with authors from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Soon enough, a metaphor developed known as “Bernhard’s Virus” as his work began to infiltrate academia and influence authors. Bernhard's reaction to this phenomena within literature was troublesome. He was stuck between reluctant acceptance and disdain, but ultimately recognized its significance as these limitations only broadened his global reach rather than diminished his uniqueness. Some of his noted stylistic traits were ‘Extremely Long Paragraphs’ (ELP), exaggerated declarations, use of nominal compounds, and repetitive monologues. Werner cited David Labhari’s novel as an example, written in “one eloping paragraph,” paying tribute to Bernhard’s work. The lecture also delved into the complexities with translating Bernhard’s work. There were nearly 179 translations completed before the time of his death, and Bernhard himself was critical of these translations, as he believed his words were often lost within languages that didn't possess the words necessary to properly convey his
writing.
Werner’s personal research to investigate how deeply Bernhard's work impacted contemporary literature, included interviewing authors suspected of stylistic imitation through indirect questioning. She even noted that Bernhard’s influence is so pervasive that he’d appear as a character within novels, citing Jacek Dehnel as the “Polish Bernhard". A Q&A session followed the presentation, where compelling questions were raised by the audience, such as “How can we navigate the abundance of Bernhard’s translated work and distinguish genuine influence from superficial mimicry”? Werner suggested that there are stylistic analysis tools such as “Stylo” that might allow insight, yet she believes Bernhard’s style is so idiosyncratic that his written work is easy to tell apart, emphasizing the importance of literary intuition.