Malina

novel by Bachmann

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July 15, 2026

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Malina is a 1971 novel by Austrian author Ingeborg Bachmann. The novel explores themes of failed love relationships, the nature of art, and the limitations of language. It features a persona split into a sensitive, feminine self and a masculine writer double, incorporating visionary and lyrical passages. Bachmann's work is known for its sombre and surreal style, often delving into the inner lives of women and their struggles with love and identity. The novel is considered a significant work within the "New Subjectivity" movement in German literature of the 1970s and 80s, which focused on introspection and personal experience.12

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German literature
The 1970s and ’80s
Ingeborg Bachmann’s novel Malina (1971) splits its autobiographical persona into a sensitive, feminine self and a masculine double who is a writer; the novel contains visionary and lyrical passages. Walter Kempowski’s series of novels beginning with Tadellöser & Wolff (1971) reached a wider audience by depicting the everyday…
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Ingeborg Bachmann’s novel Malina (1971) splits its autobiographical persona into a sensitive, feminine self and a masculine double who is a writer; the novel contains visionary and lyrical passages. Walter Kempowski’s series of novels beginning with Tadellöser & Wolff (1971) reached a wider audience by depicting the everyday…
Read More