Literary Review Explores Gregor von Rezzori's Memoirs on Impure Relationships

The essay examines the memoirs of writer Gregor von Rezzori, a former Austro‑Hungarian subject who grew up in German‑speaking Romania, studied in Vienna, survived World War II in Berlin with a Romanian passport, and died in Tuscany after the fall of the Soviet Union. The author reflects on Rezzori’s unexpected sexual encounter with a cultured Jewish neighbour, describing how the experience challenged his upbringing in an anti‑Semitic environment and informed his views on purity and freedom.

The piece also notes Rezzori’s admiration for the German language, his complex identity across multiple regimes, and his commentary that a “contaminated” life was richer and more vibrant than one pursued under totalitarian ideals.