Franz Fiala

Franz Fiala is a fictional character in Robert Menasse's novella 'Die Lebensentscheidung'. A man in his late fifties, he works in a modest office in Brussels for the European Union's Directorate-General for Environment, specifically in the department focused on natural capital and ecosystem health. Disillusioned with the political realities that undermine the EU's goals, Fiala makes a life-altering decision to resign from his position, prompting a journey of personal and existential reflection amidst the backdrop of family dynamics and the looming specter of death.