Gustav Meyrink: biography, creativity, film adaptation of works

One of the most famous writers at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries - Gustav Meyrink. Expressionist and translator, received worldwide recognition due to the novel "Golem." Many researchers rightfully call it one of the first bestsellers of the 20th century.

Childhood and youth

The future great writer was born in Vienna in 1868. His father, Minister Carl von Hemmingen, was not married to actress Maria Meyer, so Gustav was born illegitimate. By the way, Meyer is his real name, he took the pseudonym Meyrink later.

Biographers note an interesting detail: the writer-expressionist was born on January 19 one day with the famous American author-mystic, American Edgar Allan Poe. In the history of the literature of their countries, they played similar roles.

Gustav Meyrink spent his childhood with his mother. Being an actress, she often went on tour, so his childhood passed in constant traveling. I had to study in several cities - Hamburg, Munich, Prague. Researchers Meyrink note that with the mother of the relationship was cool. That is why, according to many literary critics, in his work so popular were demonic female images.

Prague period

In 1883 Meyrink came to Prague. Here he graduated from the trade academy and received the profession of a banker. In this city Gustav Meyrink spent two decades, repeatedly portraying him in his works. Prague for him not only background, but also one of the main characters in several novels, for example, "Golem", "Walpurgis Night", "Angel of the Western Window".

There was also one of the key events in the life of the writer, biographers note. Details about him can be learned from the story "Pilot", published after his death. In 1892 Meyrink tried to commit suicide, experiencing a deep spiritual crisis. He climbed onto the table, picked up a pistol and was about to shoot, as someone pushed a small book under his door - "Life After Death." From the attempt to part with life, he at that time refused. In general, mystical coincidences played a big role in his life and in his works.

Meyrink was fascinated by the study of Theosophy, Kabbalah, the mystical teachings of the East, and practiced yoga. The latter helped him to cope not only with spiritual, but also physical problems. The writer suffered all his life from back pain.

Banking

In 1889, Gustav Meyrink seriously engaged in finance. Together with his companion Christian Morgenstern founded the bank "Mayer and Morgenstern." At first things went on uphill, but the writer did not do banking work very diligently, paying more attention to the life of the secular dandy.

On the origin of the writer pointed out repeatedly, because of this, he even fought a duel with one officer. In 1892, Mr .. married, almost immediately disappointed in marriage, but divorced only in 1905 because of legal delays and the insistence of his wife.

The fact that banking is very unsuccessful, became apparent in 1902, when the case for the use of spiritualism and witchcraft in banking operations was brought to Myrinka. He spent almost 3 months in prison. The accusations were recognized as slander, but this case still had a negative impact on his financial career.

At the beginning of the literary path

Creative career Meyrink began in 1903 with small satirical stories. Already in them there was a noticeable interest in mysticism. During this period Gustav actively cooperates with Prague neoromanticists. In the spring, he published his first book, "The Hot Soldier and Other Stories," and a little later a collection of short stories "The Orchid: Strange Stories."

In 1905 he formalizes a second marriage - with Filomina Bernt. They travel, they begin to publish a satirical magazine. In 1908, the third collection of short stories - "Wax figures". Literary work to support the family can not, so Meyrink begins to deal with translations. In a short period, he manages to translate 5 volumes of Charles Dickens. Translations Meyrink engaged until the end of life, including paying great attention to occult texts.

The novel "Golem"

In 1915, the most famous novel by the author - Golem. Meyrink immediately receives European fame. The work is based on a legend about a Jewish rabbi who created a clay monster and revived it with the help of Kabbalistic texts.

Activities are unfolding in Prague. The narrator, whose name remains unknown, somehow finds the hat of some Atanasius Pernata. After that, the hero begins to see strange dreams, as if he is the same Pernath. He is trying to find the owner of the headdress. As a result, learns that this is a stone-cutter and restorer, who lived many years ago in Prague, in the Jewish ghetto.

The novel was a huge success worldwide, reaching a record for those times circulation of 100 thousand copies. The popularity of the work was not hampered even by the First World War, which broke out at that time, and the fact that works that did not praise weapons at that time were not used successfully in Austria-Hungary.

From German into Russian, Golema was translated by the famous Soviet translator David Vygodsky in the 1920s and 1930s.

The first loud success provided Mirink's popularity and subsequent novels, but they were not issued in such a large edition. The "green face" saw a light of 40 thousand copies.

Success in the cinema

After the novel "Golem" became popular screen version of the books of Meyrink. The first to transfer this topic to the big screen was the German film director Paul Wegener in 1915. It is worth noting that only the original legend connects them with the novel of Meyrink. Although it is possible that this book inspired the cinematographer. The Golem's role was played by Wegener himself. As a result, he created a whole trilogy about a clay man. In 1917, the painting "Golem and the Dancer", and in 1920 "Golem: how he came into the world." Unfortunately, the very first film is still considered lost. Only about 4 minutes of the screen time are saved. But thanks to Wegener Golem became a recognizable cinematic image.

The screen versions of Meyrink's books do not end there. In 1936 a film "Golem" was published in Czechoslovakia. Meyrink appreciated the work of the director Julien Duvivier. In 1967, literally the novel is screened by the French director Jean Kershbourne. In 1979 the Polish filmmaker Peter Shulkin turned to the same theme.

"Green Face" and "Walpurgis Night"

On the wave of success, several more works by such an author as Gustav Meyrink appear: "Green Face" and "Walpurgis Night". In the third novel of the Austrian Impressionist, the action takes place again in Prague, during the First World War. "Walpurgis Night" is written in a grotesque form, it again has a lot of mysticism, esotericism. The author sneers at the Austrian burghers and officials.

In the center of the narrative are two pairs of characters. The Imperial Life Lab with a mistress who had fallen into poverty as a prostitute, and a young musician Ottakar, in love with the niece of Countess Zagradka, whose illegitimate son he himself is.

The main action takes place on Walpurgis night, when, according to the belief, the usual rules cease to operate, the door between our world and the other world opens. With the help of this metaphor, Gustav Meyrink, whose biography is closely connected with the First World War, tries to explain all the horrors of the war and the coming revolutions.

The culmination is a bloody battle, as if descended from the canvases of the Hussite wars. Later, the researchers considered the "Walpurgis Night" as a warning. The fact is that exactly one year later in Prague there were nationalist speeches, severely suppressed by the imperial army.

In Russia, the "Walpurgis Night" became popular in the 1920s. Many literary critics even believe that Archibald Archibaldovich from the Bulgakov novel "The Master and Margarita", the restaurant's director at Griboedov's house, is written off from Mr. Bzindinka, the owner of the tavern "The Green Frog" at Meyrink.

Novels of Meyrink

In 1921, Meyrink publishes the novel The White Dominican, which was not widely publicized, and in 1927 released his last major work, The Angel of the Western Window. At first, critics reacted coldly to him, the translation into Russian appeared only in 1992 thanks to Vladimir Kryukov.

The novel unfolds simultaneously in several semantic layers. We have Vienna in the 1920s. The central character of the narrative is the follower and descendant of John Dee, a real Welsh scholar and alchemist of the 16th century. In his hands fall to the works of ancestor. Their reading is interspersed with important events in the personal life of the protagonist. All this is symbolic and correlates with the biography of John Dee himself.

In this novel, the influence of Russian literature is felt. Some heroes go back to the characters of Dostoyevsky and Andrei Bely.

Signs of Meyrink's style

Features of Meyrink's style are well traced in his latest novel. In its center is the alchemical symbol of sacred marriage. There are two origins - male and female, which tend to reunite in a single whole in the main character. All this resembles Carl Jung's doctrine of the psychoanalytic interpretation of the symbolism of alchemists. The work contains a large number of references to alchemy, kabbalistic and tantric teachings.

Death of the writer

Gustav Meyrink, whose books are popular until now, passed away at the age of 64. His death is closely connected with the tragedy of Fortunat's son. In the winter of 1932, a 24-year-old young man was seriously injured, skiing, and was for life chained to a wheelchair. The young man did not suffer this and committed suicide. At the same age, when his father tried to do it, but Meyrinka Sr. was then rescued by a mysterious pamphlet.

The writer survived his son for about 6 months. December 4, 1932, he died suddenly. This happened in the small Bavarian town of Starnberg. He was buried next to his son. On the grave of Meyrink there is a white tombstone with an inscription in Latin for vivo, which means "to live."

In Russia, Meyrink for a long time was banned, especially during the Soviet era. After the collapse of the USSR, most of his works were translated into Russian and published.