TLDR: Stumbled upon a book at a little library with my birthday in the first line of the foreword, and felt a profound connection to the author/book.
I’ve shared my story with friends and family but hasn’t gotten traction. I wonder if r/books will think this is interesting as I have.
I was walking at night as I usually do just to clear my mind and decided to stop by the little library next to the park. As many times as I’ve used the little library I’m usually only interested in science textbooks or the occasional sci-fi book. However, one book caught my eye with its plain green letters, and the title immediately piqued my interest: “The Man Without Qualities” by Robert Musil. The brief description on the back hinted at a narrative set during World War I in Vienna, Austria. Never would I have imagined being drawn to such a novel. I rarely even bothered to read the back covers of books.
Yet, the next few moments proved to be life-altering, and I don’t say that lightly. I felt an intuition to open the book and get a sense of the story. I can say I have never done that, ever, on top of a book about a topic that I’m not really interested in.
Anyhoo, as I opened the book I stopped by the Foreword to get a read of the biography, it reads:
>ROBERT MUSIL, born in Klagenfurt, Carinthia, on the 6th of November, 1880, an Austrian of partly Czech descent….
My jaw dropped. That was literally 100 years before I was born. I immediately closed the book, hurried home, and went to sleep. I truly couldn’t believe what I had just read. I was certain that when I woke up in the morning, the words on the page would somehow be different. However, to my disbelief, it was exactly as I had read it.
The biography of Robert Musil was oddly intriguing, and it felt as if I had stumbled upon a glitch in the matrix. The similarities were uncanny. According to his biography, he was destined for military service, much like myself – my father, mother, and brother had all served in the army, as had I. Following his service in the army, he pursued a degree in civil engineering at university, mirroring my own path after my time in the army, where I pursued studies in computer engineering. Nearly every detail I read revealed a connection to this person/book. It’s as if I sense it deep in my bones. Even the name of his second play is my name!!! What are the freaking odds??? The book “The Man Without Qualities” was initially published in 1953, and this exact copy is a first Perigee printing from 1980, my birth year if you’ve been following along.
The experience was so surreal that I ended up triggering a panic attack yesterday. I’m taking it slow now but I can’t quit thinking about the book. I plan on giving it a read soon. I’ve been down on my luck lately. Depressed, divorced, and lost my job. I was sobbing at my mother just the day before and praying for some sign. That was it. I will be forever grateful that I found this novel.
by tiggertigerliger