Gustav Meyrink (19 January 1868 – 4 December 1932) was the pseudonym of Gustav Meyer, an Austrian author, novelist, dramatist, translator, and banker, most famous for his novel '' The Golem''. He has been described as the "most respected German language writer in the field of supernatural fiction".

Childhood

Gustav Meyrink was born with the name ''Gustav Meyer'' in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(now Austria) on 19 January 1868. He was the

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son of Baron Karl von Varnbüler und zu Hemmingen, a Württembergian minister, and actress Maria Wilhelmina Adelheyd Meier. Meyrink was not, despite the statements of some of his contemporaries, of Jewish descent – this rumour arose due to a confusion of his mother with a Jewish woman of the same name. Until thirteen years of age Meyrink lived mainly in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, where he completed elementary school. He then stayed in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

for a brief time, until his mother relocated to

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in 1883.

Prague

Meyrink lived in Prague for twenty years and has depicted it many times in his works. In 1889, together with the nephew of poet

Christian Morgenstern Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern (6 May 1871 – 31 March 1914) was a German writer and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on 7 March 1910. He worked for a while as a journalist in Berlin ...

, Meyrink established his own banking company, named "Meier & Morgenstern". In Prague an event occurred which played a providential role in Meyrink's life. Meyrink described it in the

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

"The Pilot". That day, 14 August 1892, on Assumption Eve, Meyrink, twenty-four years old, was allegedly standing at his table with a gun at his head, determined to shoot himself. At that moment he heard a strange scratching sound and someone's hand put a tiny booklet under his door. The booklet was called

Afterlife The afterlife or life after death is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's Stream of consciousness (psychology), stream of consciousness or Personal identity, identity continues to exist after the death of their ...

. Meyrink was surprised by this dramatic coincidence and started to study the literature of the

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

. He studied

theosophy Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neop ...

, Kabbala, Christian

Sophiology Sophiology (; by detractors also called ''Sophianism'' () or ''Sophism'' ()) is a controversial school of thought in the Russian Orthodox tradition of Eastern Orthodox Christianity that holds that Divine Wisdom (or '' Sophia''—Greek: σοφί� ...

and Eastern

mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute (philosophy), Absolute, but may refer to any kind of Religious ecstasy, ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or Spirituality, spiritual meani ...

. Until his death Meyrink practiced

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

and other occult exercises. Results of these studies and practices are found in Meyrink's works, which almost always deal with various occult

tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...

s. In 1902 Meyrink was charged with fraud. He was charged with using

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

in order to benefit from banking operations. Though after two months he was released from jail, his banking career was effectively ended. His jailhouse experiences are depicted in his most famous novel, '' The Golem'' (1913–14).

Early works

During the 1900s Meyrink started publishing satiric

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

in the magazine ''

Simplicissimus :''Simplicissimus is also a name for the 1668 novel ''Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus, Simplicius Simplicissimus'' and its protagonist.'' ''Simplicissimus'' () was a German language, German weekly satire, satirical magazine, founded by Albert ...

'', signing them with his mother's surname. During spring 1903 Meyrink's first book, '' The Hot Soldier and Other Stories'', was published. Approximately at the same time he relocated to

. Almost immediately after his arrival he published another compilation of his short stories, ''The Orchid. Strange stories''. On 8 May 1905 Meyrink married Philomene Bernt, whom he had known since 1896. On 16 July 1906 his daughter Sybille Felizitas was born. On 17 January 1908, two days before Meyrink's fortieth birthday, the second son, Harro Fortunat, was born. Subsequently, the main character of the second Meyrink's novel ''The Green Face'' was given the same name. In 1908 the third compilation of short stories, ''Waxworks'', was published. Being in need of money, Meyrink started working as a translator, and he became a prolific one; during five years he managed to translate into German fifteen volumes of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

, as well as work by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

and

Lafcadio Hearn was a Greek-born Irish and Japanese writer, translator, and teacher who introduced the culture and literature of Japan to the Western world. His writings offered unprecedented insight into Japanese culture, especially his collections of legend ...

. He continued translating until his death, including various occult works and even the Egyptian ''

Book of the Dead The ''Book of the Dead'' is the name given to an Ancient Egyptian funerary texts, ancient Egyptian funerary text generally written on papyrus and used from the beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom (around 1550 BC) to around 50 BC ...

''. Meyrink also edited a series of books on the occult. In 1911 Meyrink relocated with his family to the little Bavarian town

Starnberg Starnberg is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, some southwest of Munich. It is at the north end of Lake Starnberg, in the heart of the "Five Lakes Country", and serves as capital of the Starnberg (district), district of Starnberg. Recor ...

, and in 1913 the book ''Des deutschen Spießers Wunderhorn'' (''The German Philistine's Magic Horn'') was published in Munich. It was a compilation of short stories from the previous three books and several new ones; the title is a parody of '' Des Knaben Wunderhorn''. Many of these stories had satirical styles, ridiculing institutions such as the army and the church; Austrian writer Karl Kraus would later describe Meyrink's work as combining "

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

with a dislike for the infantry".

Fame

In 1915 the first and most famous of Meyrink's novels, ''The Golem'', was published, though its drafts may be traced back to 1908. The novel is based on the Jewish legend about a rabbi who made a living being known as a

golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

(גולם) out of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

and animated it with a Kabbalistic spell, although these legends have little to do with the story's plotline. The main character is Athanasius Pernath, a contemporary

lapidary Lapidary () is the practice of shaping rock (geology), stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems (including cameo (carving), cameos), and faceted designs. A person who practices lapidary techniques of ...

from Prague. It is left to the reader to decide whether Pernath is simply writing down his hallucinations or gradually becoming a real golem. Frenschkowski describes ''the Golem'' as both "a deep-footed initiatory tale and an

urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy, placing supernatural elements in a contemporary urban area, urban-affected setting. The combination provides the writer with a platform for classic fantasy tropes, quixotic plot-elements, and unusual charac ...

". The novel was a great commercial success. In 1916 one more compilation of short stories, ''Bats'', and soon a second novel, '' The Green Face'', was published. The next year his third novel, ''Walpurgis Night'', was written. The success of these works caused Meyrink to be ranked as one of the three main German-language supernatural fiction authors (along with

Hanns Heinz Ewers Hanns Heinz Ewers (3 November 1871 – 12 June 1943) was a German actor, poet, philosopher, and writer of short stories and novels. While he wrote on a wide range of subjects, he is now known mainly for his works of horror, particularly his tril ...

and Karl Hans Strobl). Meyrink was opposed to World War I (then called the Great War), which caused him to be denounced by German nationalists; the German " Völkisch" journalist Albert Zimmermann (1873-1933) described Meyrink as "one of the cleverest and most dangerous opponents of the German nationalist ideal. He will influence – and corrupt – thousands upon thousands, just as

Heine Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include: People with the surname * Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor * Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco * Armand Heine (1818–1883) ...

did". In 1916 ''Des deutschen Spießers Wunderhorn'' was banned in Austria. By 1920 Meyrink's financial affairs improved so that he bought a

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

. The villa became known as "The House at the Last Lantern" after the name of the house from '' The Golem''. There he and his family lived for the next eight years and two more works – ''The White Dominican'' and Meyrink's longest novel '' The Angel of the West Window'' – were written. In 1927 Meyrink formally converted to

Mahayana Buddhism Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Thera ...

Death

During the winter of 1931, while skiing, Meyrink's son seriously injured his backbone and for the rest of his life he was confined to his armchair. On 12 July, at the age of 24, he committed suicide – at the same age his father was going to do it. Meyrink survived his son by half a year. He died on 4 December 1932 in

, Bavaria, Germany. In his final days he was suffering from acute shortness of breath as a result of dropsy. His wife reported that he told her that he wanted to die quite consciously (). He then removed his shirt, spread his arms and died looking out a window at the rising sun. He is buried in Starnberg Cemetery.

Reputation

Frenschkowski notes "like those of most other German and Austrian fantastic writers, his books were prohibited during the

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

era". Later, Meyrink's work enjoyed a revival; Meyrink was discussed in a special edition of the French journal ''L'Herne'' (1976), and his work was translated into Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch and English.

Bibliography

* '' The Hot Soldier and Other Stories'' (''Der heiße Soldat und andere Geschichten''), 1903 * ''Orchideen. Sonderbare Geschichten'', 1904 * ''The Waxworks'', 1907 * “Der Stein der Tiefe,” fragment published in the literary and art journal ''Pan'', 1911 * ''The German Philistine's Horn'' (''Des deutschen Spießers Wunderhorn''), 1909 * ''Der Violette Tod'', 1913 * '' The Golem'' (''Der Golem''), serialized in 1913/1914, published in novel form in 1915 * ''Bats'' (''Fledermäuse''), 1916 * '' The Green Face'' (''Das grüne Gesicht''), 1916 * ''Walpurgis Night'' (''Walpurgisnacht''), 1917 * ''Der Mann auf der Flasche'', 1920 * ''The Land of the Time-Leeches'' (''J.H. Obereits Besuch bei den Zeit-Egeln''), 1916 * ''The White Dominican'' (''Der weiße Dominikaner''), 1921 * ''At the Threshold of the Beyond'', 1923 * ''Goldmachergeschichten'', August Scherl Verlag, Berlin 1925 * ''Die Heimtückischen Champagnons und Andere Geschichten'', 1925 * ''Meister Leonhard'', 1925 * '' The Angel of the West Window'' (''Der Engel vom westlichen Fenster''), 1927 * ''Der Uhrmacher'', 1937 (published posthumous)

References

External links

* * *
Photo and bibliography

*
Dedalus Books
publishers of Meyrink in English

English translation of Meyrink short story
Simplicissimus
Complete edition online {{DEFAULTSORT:Meyrink, Gustav 1868 births 1932 deaths Writers from Vienna 20th-century Austrian novelists Austrian male novelists Austrian male short story writers Austrian satirists Satirical short story writers Austrian pacifists Austrian Buddhists Austrian fantasy writers Austrian horror writers Buddhist pacifists Converts to Buddhism Magic realism writers Mahayana Buddhism writers 20th-century Austrian short story writers 20th-century Austrian male writers Weird fiction writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers Writers from Austria-Hungary