Erich Rietenauer is the last surviving contemporary witness of the most crucial and stormy years in the life of Alma Mahler-Werfel. From a very personal perspective, he gives a moving account of this remarkable and eccentric woman. As a small boy, he was a frequent guest at the villa on the Hohe Warte, home to the Molls, Alma’s parents, and the meeting place of a myriad of important artists. Here, he found security and safety in the »bosom« of Alma and encountered writers and artists such as Thomas Mann, Franz Werfel, Gerhart Hauptmann, Bruno Walter and many others. He vividly remembers the countless stories he heard from Alma’s mother Anna Moll about the exciting life of her daughter Alma, artist and muse. His experiences have remained to this day an important part of his life, which, in itself, is part and parcel of Austrian history.
Erich Rietenauer was born in Vienna in 1924. Between 1931 and 1938 he was a frequent guest at the house of Alma Mahler-Werfel and her mother Anna Moll. After training in a haulage firm and completing his military service during World War II, he worked as a photographer and instructor with Fujifilm. At the age of 82, he started to write his memoirs.