Alma’s Little Photographer – Radio

Radio Feature
ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) und Deutschlandfunk Köln (German Radio Cologne) 2012

53 min. 24 sec.

Adult Education Radio Prize 2013

Erich Rietenauer of Vienna recalls his youth in the orbit of the legendary Alma Mahler-Werfel.

“Every nook and cranny in my apartment says hello to me!”
“The only things in this picture that belong to me are my shoes!”

It all started when Erich Rietenauer grew out of his shoes and his mother had no money to buy new ones. The only available footwear belonged to his uncle, and he wore size 45. In these shoes, little Erich trudged to the charity party that City Councilor Julius Tandler put on at Christmas for the city’s poorest people. An upper-class lady gave gifts to the children.

Suddenly, little Erich in his giant shoes was standing face to face with a “magic figure wearing a tiara, dressed in white, and wonderfully beautiful.” – Alma Mahler-Werfel.

Erich Rietenauer im Interview mit Susanne Ayoub
Susanne Ayoub interviewing Erich Rietenauer

He never forgot her eyes of “steel blue,” her fragrance, or her embrace. Soon curiosity led him to her villa on the exclusive hillside neighborhood Hohe Warte. Alma’s youngest daughter Manon, only a few years older than he was, befriended him and introduced him to Alma’s family: her mother Anna Moll, and Alma’s “manchild” Franz Werfel, who enjoyed conversing with the boy.

Alma_u_Franz_Hohe_Warte_Wohnzimmer
Alma Mahler-Werfel and Franz Werfel. Photo: Marina Mahler Archive

Translation Geoffrey C. Howes