Panic

Panikroman (2014) is a stream-of-consciousness account of the debilitating impact of a panic attack on an unsuspecting but narcissistic stockbroker in contemporary Vienna. The satirical novel calls into question whether he (and modern life) are really as "kerngesund" (perfectly healthy) as he maintains. The development of the anonymous character is framed by the lyrics of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil." Each subchapter is introduced by a line of the song. The mysterious illness of this "man of wealth and taste" forces him to seek professional help, ultimately in the form of shock therapy administered by an ancient Nazi neurologist. Very funny! But apart from presenting a relatively realistic account of the symptoms and impact of a panic attack, Amon connects this stockbroker and his practices to the "devilish" work of the financial world: the market, which exists only in the stockbroker's head, is, he admits, rigged to favor the investment banks, causing investors untold suffering. But the illness brought on by the panic attacks finally precipitates reflection, however haphazard, on Austria's troubled past, on questions of theology, on death, even on the nature of capitalism. It appears that the panic attacks might only be a symptom. Something is wrong, but what? Could it be that the protagonist suffers from a lack of authenticity, which the reigning powers of society, of everyday life, cannot complete? Resigned and despondent, he is torn between "redemptive hope" and "a euphoric demise." Amon's hero develops a plan to redress the immorality (his own included) of everyday reality. He seeks redemption (and admittedly fame) as he plots to panic the stock market, thereby undoing the falseness, the inauthenticity, of modern life. But does he succeed? Or is he in the end one of "the beautiful losers" of Bob Seeger's song? Can one develop some "sympathy for the devil" for this entrapped, devilish narcissist who is unable to move beyond an inauthentic world?