Great reading that provides a sense of the city, from the Traveler online Ultimate Travel Library.
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The Man Without Qualities, by Robert Musil (1930)
Robert Musil’s modernist novel offers original insight into the life of prewar Vienna during the decline of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Radetzky March, by Joseph Roth (1932)
Describes the rise and fall of the great Austro-Hungarian Empire as seen through the personal histories of three generations of the Trotta family.
The Third Man, by Graham Greene (1950)
Novella set in post-World War II Vienna, divided into three zones and occupied by the Allied powers of Britain, France, the United States, and the U.S.S.R. Follows the story of pulp western author Holly Martins who comes to Vienna to work with an old friend, but discovers the friend is dead when he arrives. Greene also wrote the screenplay for the 1949 film of the same name.
Wittgenstein’s Vienna, by Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmin (1973)
Scholarly tome about the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and the artistic and intellectual fervor in early 20th-century Vienna that helped shape and inspire him.
The Forever Street, by Frederic Morton (1984)
Explores the history of Vienna’s vibrant Jewish community through Frederic Morton’s treasure trove of memories, stories, and anecdotes.
The Vienna Coffeehouse Wits, 1890-1938, by Harold B. Segel (1993)
An anthology of texts by Austrian authors, including Peter Altenberg, Karl Kraus, and Hermann Bahr, on topics and characters typical of Vienna at the turn of the 20th century.
Marrying Mozart, by Stephanie Cowell (2004)
An entertaining historical novel about the Austrian-born musical maestro Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the four important women in his life—the Weber sisters.
