2 h 39 minAudiobook3 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if forms, stamps and rules take on a life of their own?
In The Holy Bureaucrazius, Rudolf Greinz turns the world of officialdom into a merry legend. This short comic tale borrows the shape of a saint’s life to tease everyday human habits. Offices and paperwork become material for a warm, lightly mocking look at the absurdity of red tape.
Greinz brings the warmth of an Alpine storyteller to a subject that can feel anything but warm. His mock-solemn tone invites you to laugh at bureaucracy rather than wrestle with it. Alongside the rules and forms sits the idea of holy foolishness: apparent silliness that makes room for plain truths and common sense.
What you’ll discover
- A legend with a wink Enjoy a familiar storytelling form turned toward the comic habits of everyday life.
- The absurdity of red tape See offices, forms and stamps become the targets of light, affectionate satire.
- Foolishness and common sense Explore the contrast between seeming silly and seeing what cleverness can miss.
- A mock-solemn voice Find pleasure in a serious-sounding manner that makes human habits seem all the funnier.
- Warmth behind the teasing Spend time with humour that smiles at human habits rather than scolding them.
Who will love it
For readers who love gentle satire, old-fashioned humor and short comic tales about officialdom, with Alpine warmth and a kindly laugh at red tape.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A legend told with a smile
- Bureaucracy as a world of its own
- Holy foolishness and common sense
- What to take from the tale
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- 15-minute summary
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Holy Bureaucrazius
Forms, stamps and rules take on a life of their own as human warmth meets rigid procedure in a comic saint's tale.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
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In short
The Holy Bureaucrazius is a comic tale by Rudolf Greinz, an Austrian writer from Tyrol who lived until 1942. It belongs to the tradition of the merry legend, a short humorous story that borrows the shape of a saint's life to poke fun at everyday human habits.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A legend told with a smile
The legend is an old form. Medieval and folk storytellers used it to tell of saints, miracles and holy fools, and listeners knew its rhythm well. A merry legend keeps that rhythm but turns it toward comedy, so that the solemn frame makes the joke sharper.
Greinz was a writer rooted in Austrian and Tyrolean life, and that background shapes the kind of humor readers meet in his work. It tends to be earthy, affectionate and close to ordinary people, rather than cruel or bitter.
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Who wrote The Holy Bureaucrazius?
It was written by Rudolf Greinz, an Austrian author from Tyrol who died in 1942. He is known for humorous stories and regional fiction set among Alpine people and their customs.
What is a merry legend?
A merry legend is a comic story that borrows the form of a saint's life. It keeps the solemn tone of old legends but uses it to joke about human habits and weaknesses.
What is The Holy Bureaucrazius about?
It is a humorous tale about bureaucracy, treating the world of offices, rules and paperwork with mock reverence. It laughs at red tape while keeping a warm, friendly tone.
The author
Rudolf Greinz
1866–1942 · Austrian writer
Rudolf Greinz was an Austrian writer born in Innsbruck in 1866. He wrote novels, short stories, poems, and satire in German during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His fiction included works set in Tyrol. He lived in Munich for a time and died in Aldrans, Austria, in 1942.
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