Beschimpft Österreich!

4 March 1968, Vienna Ministry of Schooling: Thomas Bernhard is awarded the Austrian national award for novels. His unconventional acceptance speech evokes the minister's displeasure; in turn, Bernhard feels snubbed by the reaction and a newspaper runs the title: "This is how a national award laureate expresses his 'thanks': By berating Austria!" This incident goes down in literary history as a nat...