The Glass Room: Housing space, time and history

This article presents The Glass Room (2009), a novel by the British author Simon Mawer set in Brno, Czech Republic, as unique literary portrayal of historical period and Modernist architecture fiction. Shortlisted for Man Booker Prize, marked turning point its author’s career, inspiring both theatrical film adaptations, and, perhaps more importantly, it sparked resurgence interest model, famous Tugendhat House, revolutionary piece built between 1928 1930 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. narration is determined centrality Landauer House main living space, Room, their capacity to frame intimate histories characters well tumultuous social, political, cultural developments Central Europe. spatial poetics reflects this thematic complexity, whilst expressing key aesthetic ethical preoccupations contribut-ing novel’s role providing multifaceted insight into history architecture.