Gustav Meyrink (January 19, 1868 – December 4, 1932) was an Austrian author, storyteller, dramatist, translator, banker and Buddhist, most famous for his novel The Golem. January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... December 4th redirects here. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... BRD-SG in IaÅŸi - A small branch dedicated to retail services For other uses, see Bank (disambiguation). ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... The Golem is a novel written by Gustav Meyrink in 1914. ...

Childhood

Gustav Meyrink was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria). He was the illegitimate son of Baron Karl von Varnbüler von und zu Hemmingen and actress Maria Wilhelmina Adelheyd Meier. (In 1919, when Meyrink had already become a renowned writer, the Varnbülers are said to have offered Meyrink the use of the family name. The offer was politely rejected.) It is significant that on January 19, but sixty years earlier, another mystic writer, Edgar Allan Poe, had been born. Meyrink's role in Austrian literature is similar to that of Poe in American literature. Until thirteen years of age Meyrink lived in Munich, where he completed elementary school. He then stayed in Hamburg for a short time. Then his mother moved to Prague in 1883. Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Austria-Hungary, also known as the Dual monarchy (or: the k. ... // Illegitimacy is a term that was once in common use for the status of being born to parents who were not validly married to one another. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... Munich (German: , pronounced  ; Austro-Bavarian: Minga [1]) is the capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... Location Coordinates Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE6 First Mayor Ole von Beust (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 3 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  755 km² (292 sq mi) Population 1,754,317 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 2,324 /km² (6,018... Nickname: Motto: Praga Caput Rei publicae Location within the Czech Republic Coordinates: Country Czech Republic Region Capital City of Prague Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Pavel Bém Area  - City 496 km²  (191. ... 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Prague

Meyrink lived in Prague for twenty years and has depicted it many times in his works . Prague does not appear as background, but as a character in most of the short stories of The German Philistine's Horn cycle, as well as the novels The Golem and Walpurgis Night, and determines the tone of the most important part of the novel The Angel of the West Window. It is clearly visible through slightly abstract architecture of The White Dominican.

In Prague an event occurred which played a providential role in Meyrink's life. Meyrink described it in the autobiographical short story "The Pilot". That day, August 14, 1892, on Assumption Eve, Meyrink, 24 years old, was standing at his table with a gun at his hand, strongly determined to shoot himself. At that moment he heard a strange scratch and someone's hand put a tiny booklet under his door. The booklet was called Afterlife. Meyrink was shocked by this dramatic coincidence and started to study the literature of the occult. Having studied theosophy, Kabbala, christian Sophiology and Eastern mysticism, he also tried to practise (in the beginning, quite naively). Until his death Meyrink practised yoga. It was hatha-yoga which helped him to work off serious back pain exacerbated by diabetes. Results of these studies are clearly seen in Meyrink's works, which almost always deal with various occult traditions. Gershom Sholem, an expert in Jewish mysticism, has stated that Meyrink's works are based on superficial sources and have no ties with any authentic tradition. He was, after all, a fiction writer. August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Assumption has been a subject of Christian art for centuries. ... The afterlife, or life after death, is a generic term referring to a continuation of existence, typically spiritual, experiential, or ghost-like, beyond this world, or after death. ... The word occult comes from the Latin occultus (clandestine, hidden, secret), referring to knowledge of the hidden. In the medical sense it is used commonly to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e. ... Emblem of the Theosophical Society (Adyar) described at [1] Theosophy, literally wisdom of the divine (in the Greek language), designates several bodies of ideas. ... Kabbala may refer to; Kabbala Village, in the Karnataka State of India Kabbalah, is a religious philosophical system claiming an insight into divine nature. ... Sophiology is a branch of Christian theology primarily concerned with the Wisdom of God. ... Mysticism from the Greek μυστικός (mustikos) an initiate (of the Eleusinian Mysteries, μυστήρια (musteria) meaning initiation[1]) is the pursuit of achieving communion or identity with, or conscious awareness of, ultimate reality, the divine, spiritual truth, or God through direct experience, intuition, or insight; and the belief that such experience is one... Statue of Shiva performing Yogic meditation Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a Sanskrit word that has a wide range of different meanings. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Gershom Scholem (born December 5, 1897 in Berlin, died February 21, 1982 in Jerusalem), also known as Gerhard Scholem, was a German-born Jewish philosopher and historian. ...

In 1889, together with the nephew of poet Christian Morgenstern, Meyrink established his own bank, called "Meier & Morgenstern". Year 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

At that time Meyrink also was a member of the famous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in London. This is proved by the letter from William Wynn Westcott (1893), which has remained in Meyrink's private archives. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (or, more commonly, the Golden Dawn) was a magical order of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, practicing a form of theurgy and spiritual development. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... William Wynn Westcott (November 17, 1848 - July 30, 1925) was a British esotericist and ceremonial magician. ...

In 1902 Meyrink was charged with fraud. He was charged with using spiritualism in order to benefit from banking operations. Though in two months he was released from jail, his banking career was over. His jailhouse experiences are depicted in his most famous novel, The Golem. 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... The Golem is a novel written by Gustav Meyrink in 1914. ...

Early works

In 1900s Meyrink started publishing satiric short stories in the Simplicissimus magazine, signing it under his mother's surname. On spring 1903 first Meyrink's book The Hot Soldier and Other Stories was released. Approximately at the same time he moved to Vienna. Almost immediately after his arrival another compilation of his short stories, The Orchid. Strange stories, was released. On May 8, 1905 Meyrink married Philomene Bernt, whom he had known since 1896. On July 16, 1906 his daughter Sybil Felizata was born. This article is in need of attention. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... July 16 is the 197th day (198th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 168 days remaining. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1908 the third compilation of short stories, Waxworks, was published.

On January 17, 1908, just the day before Meyrink's fortieth birthday, the second son, Harro Fortunat, was born. Subsequently the main character in the second Meyrink's novel The Green Face was given the same name. January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

Being in dire straits, Meyrink started working as a translator and he became a prolific one; in five years he managed to translate into German fifteen volumes of Charles Dickens. He continued translating until his death, including various occult works and even Book of the Dead. Dickens redirects here. ... The Book of the Dead A Section of Plate 3 from the Papyrus of Ani. ...

In 1911 Meyrink with his family moved to the little Bavarian town Starnberg, and in 1913 in Munich the book called The German Philistine's Horn was released. It was a compilation of short stories from the previous three books and several new ones. Starnberg is a Bavarian town, located south west of the city of Munich in Germany. ...

Fame

In 1915 the first and the most famous Meyrink's novel, The Golem, was published, though its drafts may be traced back to 1908. The novel is rooted in Jewish legend about a rabbi who made a living being called golem (גולם) out of clay and animated him with a Kabbalistic spell. The main character is Athanasius Pernath, a contemporary artist from Prague. It is left to the reader to decide whether Pernath is simply writing down his hallucinations or gradually turning into a real golem. The novel was a huge success, an unprecedented amount of copies of it were published. In 1916 one more compilation of short stories, Bats, and soon the second novel, The Green Face, came into the world. The number of copies sold of The Green Face reached 40,000, and 100,000 of The Golem. For instances of Golem in popular culture, see Golem in popular culture. ... The Gay Head cliffs in Marthas Vineyard are made almost entirely of clay. ...

The next year the third novel, Walpurgis Night, was written. It was the strange coincidence, that the novel about popular riots, which were instigated by the forces of evil and which flooded Prague with blood, was released in 1917.

By 1920 Meyrink's financial affairs improved so that he managed to buy a villa in Starnberg. 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 masterpieces — The White Dominican and Meyrink's biggest novel The Angel of the West Window — were written. A villa was originally an upper-class country house, though since its origins in Roman times the idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably. ... Starnberg is a Bavarian town, located south west of the city of Munich in Germany. ... The Golem is a novel written by Gustav Meyrink in 1914. ...

Death

The name "Fortunat" did not bring much luck to Meyrink's son. On the winter of 1932, when skiing, he terribly injured his backbone. That meant that for the rest of his life he would be confined to his armchair. On July 12, at the age of 24 he committed suicide — at the same age as his father was going to do it. Meyrink survived his son by half a year. He died on December 4, 1932 in Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany. He was buried in Starnberg Cemetery. July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... Suicide (Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of intentionally taking ones own life. ... December 4th redirects here. ... Year 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Starnberg is a Bavarian town, located south west of the city of Munich in Germany. ... The geographic region and Free State of Bavaria (German:  ), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ...

Bibliography

• The Hot Soldier (Der heiße Soldat) 1903,
• The Waxworks 1907,
• The German Philistine's Horn 1909,
• The Golem (Der Golem) 1914,
• The Green Face (Das grüne Gesicht) 1916,
• Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) 1917,
• The Land of the Time-Leeches 1920,
• The White Dominican (Der weiße Dominikaner) 1921
• At the Threshold of the Beyond 1923,
• The Angel of the West Window (Der Engel vom westlichen Fenster) 1927,

The Hot Soldier is a book written in 1903 by Gustav Meyrink. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Golem is a novel written by Gustav Meyrink in 1914. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar (see: 1917 Julian calendar). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar). ...

External links

• Photo and bibliography
• Allrefer.com entry
• Gustav Meyrink at the Internet Movie Database
• Dedalus Books publishers of Meyrink in English