Books: Viennese Schoolboys

CLASS REUNION—Franz Werfel—Simon & Schuster ($2).

In a "prep" school near New York in 1902, would the entire student body seriously prepare and abide by a shrewd timetable for playing hookey? Would the rich boys and the well-born boys form a clique under the dominance of the literary boy, listen to his poems, read their own, play the ouija board, indulge with equal zest in philosophy and barroom wenches? And despise footballers for brainless oxen? Would U. S. students consider cheating on marks a crime from whose penalty, legal and moral, suicide was a welcome escape?

In 1902 at the Nikolaus Gymnasium outside...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!