The Wall

The Wall (German: Die Wand) is a 1963 novel^[1] by Austrian writer Marlen Haushofer. Considered the author’s finest work, The Wall is an example of dystopian fiction.^[2] The English translation by Shaun Whiteside was published by Cleis Press in 1990.

The novel’s main character is a 40-something woman whose name the reader never learns. While vacationing in a hunting lodge in the Austrian mountains, a transparent wall has been placed that closes her off from the outside world; all life outside the wall appears to have died. With a dog, a cow, and a cat as her sole companions, she struggles to survive and to come to terms with the situation. Facing fear and loneliness, she writes an account of her isolation without knowing whether or not anyone will ever read it.