“Una domanda a cui non si può dare risposta”. Thomas Bernhard e le maschere di Wittgenstein

While running through the works of Thomas Bernhard it is easy to bump into the name of Ludwig Wittgenstein, and it is also easier to discover hidden quotes by the Austrian philosopher or allusions to his life. In a letter to Madame Hilde Spiel, dated 1971, however, Bernhard writes that he cannot write about Wittgenstein. This paper deals with the ‘elective affinities’ between Bernhard and Wittgenstein. On the one hand we intend to outline the reasons of this fascination, and the way in which Bernhard refers to Wittgenstein through his characters, on the other hand we aim to investigate Thomas Bernhard’s decision not to write about him.