The Man Without QualitiesThe Man Without Qualities
Score Classic
What it's about
In Vienna in 1913, on the eve of the First World War, Ulrich, a thirty-two-year-old mathematician and former soldier, decides to take a year off from life. He gets drawn into a grand, absurd committee planning a celebration of the Emperor's 70th jubilee, and becomes fascinated with a murderer on trial, while a whole society drifts toward catastrophe without noticing.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and Le Monde's list of the books of the century. It's a vast, witty novel of ideas.
You'll love it if you liked
The Magic Mountain
The Trial
BuddenbrooksGood to know
It's enormous, unfinished and more essay than plot. Musil died before completing it.
By the numbers
- Readers76 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller27 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic
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Quick answers
Is The Man Without Qualities worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and Le Monde's list of the books of the century. It ranks #557 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 77.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Man Without Qualities about?
In Vienna in 1913, on the eve of the First World War, Ulrich, a thirty-two-year-old mathematician and former soldier, decides to take a year off from life. He gets drawn into a grand, absurd committee planning a celebration of the Emperor's 70th jubilee, and becomes fascinated with a murderer on trial, while a whole society drifts toward catastrophe without noticing.
How long does it take to read The Man Without Qualities?
About 44 hours (1774 pages), or about 13 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Man Without Qualities?
If you liked it, try The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann, The Trial by Franz Kafka or Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann.