Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Obituary: Elias Canetti

Ritchie Robertson
Thursday 01 September 1994 18:02 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

ELIAS CANETTI deserved a more generous obituary than James Kirkup's (19 August), writes Ritchie Robertson.

Many readers have found Auto da Fe not only readable but unforgettable, as a satire on human greed, obsession and violence in the tradition of Swift and Gogol. Crowds and Power (admirably translated by Carol Stewart) is an original and erudite work whose insights into human nature are more disturbing, and more convincing, than anything offered by sociobiology. Mention should also be made of Canetti's two wives, Veza (who died in 1963) and Hera (who died in 1988). The former was herself a brilliant writer, as the stories in Yellow Street (1990) amply demonstrate.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in