Afterword from "The Loser"

"During his lifetime Thomas Bernhard's texts provoked more than the ordinary share of scandals. But perhaps the most enduring scandal will turn out to be his very last text, his will:

"Whatever I have written, whether published by me during my lifetime or as part of my literary papers still existing after my death, shall not be performed, printed or even recited for the duration of legal copyright within the borders of Austria, however this state identifies itself".

Bernhard had taken care not to reveal the contents of this will before he died; infact, he even stipulated that news of his death not be announced until he was buried. This parting slap in the face of his native country thus came not only as a surprise; it came from the hand of a dead man, whose laughter rang out from the grave."