Gay Love on the Trapeze

A bar of soap that smells of lemon and sandalwood. Carefully wrapped in tissue paper, an emblem from a Vienna workshop is pressed into it. It is Felix’s most valuable possession, something he only smells. A piece of home he saves for himself.
The young Felix emigrated to the United States in a hurry, with no plan, no money, and barely a word of English. But he made it from Vienna-Stadlau to New York. He just keeps pushing through.
One of the few words he can say in English: Austria
It was shortly before World War II, and the young man wanted to leave behind this “outpost at the arse of the big Vienna city.” He longed for America, even though he hardly knew what the country looked like. Faster, higher, farther—that’s what everything should be here.
Somehow he manages to disembark at the New York harbor, slipping past the checkpoint. A rather odd crew picks him up, he joins them. They drive across the country, and somehow he ends up with the circus “World’s End” and signs on. One of the few English words Felix can say is the name of his homeland. When Felix introduces himself, he says he is Austria.

Jack explains the trapeze — and love

Felix Austria isn’t just a new name in a new homeland. This is how the Habsburgs’ marriage politics were once described: “Bella gerant alii, tu felix Austria nube.” — “Let other wars be fought, you, happy Austria, marry.” The young nobles were sent to courts across Europe as children to extend their dominion.
Marrying instead of waging war—that idea can also be applied to the émigré. While Europe rages with World War II, Felix falls in love with an acrobat in the circus. Jack, really Jakob from Berlin, teaches him not only what an aerialist on the trapeze must do and endure, but also makes him a good lover.

A wonderfully light novel
Jack also shows him that a circus operates differently from life outside. It’s a wonderful microcosm, with its own rules, where things run more openly and where no one is judged. Everyone trusts one another, everyone stands up for each other. A free life, a free love is possible here. The circus becomes Felix’s surrogate family, a queer safe space where the Austrian can be himself.

“Felix Austria” (Amazon-Affiliate-Link ) by Christopher Wurmdobler is a truly delightful, unforced novel, perfect for the summer. It follows its protagonist across several decades and continents. The characters are original, the descriptions vivid and never dull.

The circus, a haven for communists

Something is always happening, but none of it feels unreal, even when events unfold rapidly or coincidences help push the story forward. The narration stands out with its laconic voice at certain moments: “And what did our newly arrived hero from Europe do?”

The political developments are not the focus, but they serve as a background hum to the plot: Felix experiences World War II, worries about the old homeland, and during McCarthyism the circus is stigmatized as a haven for Communists and threatened.

An entertaining, quirky story

The novel speaks to the power of love in an unusual setting, to the courage to start over — perhaps more than once — and to decisions that are hard and irreversible.
“Felix Austria” is not lofty or pompous; it doesn’t burden itself with heavy theses or contrived discourse. No, it treats these themes in a natural, casual way—and above all, the entertaining, slightly surreal, warmly humane story stays front and center.