Die Strudlhofstiege

The Strudlhof Steps: or, Melzer and the Depth of the Years (German: Die Strudlhofstiege oder Melzer und die Tiefe der Jahre) is a 1951 novel by the Austrian writer Heimito von Doderer. It is set in Vienna in the 1920s and portrays a large number of mostly well-off characters, connected by their proximity to the Strudlhofstiege, an outdoor staircase. The novel gives emphasis to location and language rather than actions of the characters. The book was a critical success at its original publication. Retrospective critics have praised its sense of timelessness, style and portrayal of Viennese society. It has been grouped with Doderer's novels The Lighted Windows (1950) and The Demons (1956), which provide a detailed panorama of Vienna in the 1910s and 1920s. A poem by Doderer that opens The Strudlhof Steps has been placed on a plaque at the Strudlhofstiege. The novel was adapted into an Austrian television film in 1987.