For several decades Friedrich Torberg was a major figure in Austrian cultural life: controversial but always powerful; often hated, but--because of the incisiveness of his thinking and the consistency and integrity of his opinions--admired even by his enemies. He was also--to his disappointment--better known as one of Europe's leading critics of cultural politics and society than as a writer. This one-sided assessment is understandable: as an author Torberg is important and often underestimated; but as a critic he is fascinating, influential, and unique. He began to write parodies, pamphlets, and satirical essays in the late 1920s; the tone and the topics grew more serious during his exile in France and the United States. He developed these forms to a unique quality of style and trenchancy after he returned to Austria in 1951. Their only shortcoming--but one roundly criticized by his detractors--is that for the sake of an effective play...