A Sailor of Austria (2005)

I love military historical fiction, and this book is one of my faves. Sadly, the book-buying public didn't agree with my opinion, and John Biggens was dropped by his publisher after four novels that didn't make money. The sad truth is most of the people who read this kind of fiction want a more standard-issue kind of hero, like Jack Aubrey or Dan Lenson; someone who is heroically going on to bigger and better things, which will be written about in due course. Lieutenant Ottokar Prohaska is in the service of Austria-Hungary, a decaying empire with a small navy; an empire that broke apart after World War One and lost all it’s oceanfront property in the process. This greatly limits opportunities for promotion to higher rank, among other things. Sadly, while Ottokar Prohaska is a certifiable hero: loyal, brave and extremely competent (a winner of the Military Order of Maria Theresa, no less!), his opportunities for heroic action are limited by circumstances beyond his control: rinky-dink u-boats with limited range and offensive capabilities; exploding submarine toilets; defective torpedoes; flatulence-inducing rations of tinned stew with sauerkraut. Yet he bravely sailors on with his multilingual crew with no little success, and only a bit of friendly fire. You have to love this guy; he’s loyal to the end and fun at parties.
The good news is this book is back in print again and can be easily found, along with the other three books in the series. This was not always the case. Even better, John Biggens has written a fifth novel, not about Austrian sailors, titled "The Surgeon’s Apprentice", which is available only as a kindle book. It’s on my to-read list. ( )

An excellent story well told about a little known topic; the WW1 Austrian navy and submarine warfare in the Mediterranean. ( )

A true unacknowledged classic in the historical fiction tradition, this is a book you simply must read.Like Flashman but without the racism or Aubrey but without the pompousity, the tales of Otto Prohaska, Submarine Captain of the Austrian Empire are exciting, educational (the research is outstanding) and surprisingly funny, although with moments of heart-stopping tragedy.
Told as reminiscences of a dying centenarian in a west Wales home for Polish veterans, to a younger Welsh submariner, this book carries the reader back to 1915 and then through the last years of the disintegrating Habsburg Monarchy to its inevitable fall, with a wit and panache that makes it amazing that this book is not better known.
High point: the chapter long description of Prohaska's childhood and why his hometown has no official name, which contains that rarest of things, black slapstick.
Low point: There are no low points.
By the way, this is one of my five desert island novels. By Jove, I think I'll have to read it again. ( )

Books like “A Sailor of Austria” by John Biggins are the reason I read. Charged with indelible heartfelt realistic stories of human endeavors in a time and within an empire long forgotten, Mr. Biggins brings to life an aspect of these times and the superlative adventures of Otto Prohaska. Even if you do not enjoy military adventures, seafaring or historical fiction read this book; the characterization and command of language alone is well worth your time. I only wish there were more of an historical note by Mr. Biggins regarding his research, writing and inspiration. ( )

READ THIS BOOK! I'M NOT KIDDING!

In 'Sailor of Austria', John Biggins introduced Otto Prohaska, captain of an Austro-Hungarian submarine during the Great War. The tale is told from Prohaska's perspective as a 100-year old resident of a nursing home in rural Wales. Surprised by the interest of a young worker at the home, Prohaska sets about recording his story. This 'looking back' perspective allows a modern sardonic narrative voice somewhat in the manner of Thomas Berger's Little Big Man.

The manner of telling is reminiscent of George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman: A Novel (Flashman), as others have remarked, but darker. At times the book is laugh-out-loud funny - particularly early in the book when the dire consequences of a submarine crew fed on rotten cabbage stew leads to a serendipitous result. Biggins gives the reader a convincing sense of life and death aboard the absurdly primitive WW I submarines.

As the book moves into the later stages of the war, humor takes a backseat and tragedy takes center stage. Biggins' remarkable description of the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire puts the reader amidst the shock and utter chaos of a crumbling world. And then the Spanish Flu makes its entrance.

It's exciting to see the renewed interest in John Biggins works, which were hardly big sellers when first published in 1991 but are now being brought back by McBooks Press. I was only recently put on to Biggins over on LibraryThing and the discovery's been one of those great unexpected experiences that come along only rare even to devoted readers.

Help rescue John Biggins from undeserved obscurity. The writing is really first-rate and so is the story. Highest recommendation. ( )