Café Central
The historic coffee house in the Palais Ferstel, Vienna, Austria. See Vienna (Literary).
At a glance
| Source | Author | Role | In one line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neither Here Nor There | Bill Bryson | setting | Trotsky’s old café: atmosphere, but dear coffee and indifferent service. |
Neither Here Nor There — Bill Bryson (1991)
Source: Readwise highlight
Even the Café Central, where Trotsky used to hang out, sitting for long hours every day doing nothing, was a disappointment.
- Role: setting
- In the book: Chapter 19. It has some atmosphere (“vaulted ceilings, marble tables, a pianist”), but coffee costs thirty-four schillings and the service is indifferent. He retells the story of two Viennese at the Central doubting that the idle Trotsky could ever lead a revolution.
- Why it matters: Part of his argument that Vienna’s famous cafés were “the biggest disappointment”; the exception is the Café Hawelka.