Walpurgisnacht

By Gustav Meyrink and Mike Mitchell

Comic, fantastic and grotesque, Walpurgisnacht uses Prague as the setting for a clash between German officialdom immured in the ancient castle above the Moldau, and a Czech revolution seething in the city below. Written in 1917, Walpurgisnacht continues the message of The Green Face, of a decadent society on the brink of collapse and of a Europe past salvation. In it we see Meyrink's exceptional narrative powers at their height.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dedalus
• Release date: Apr 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781907650420

Gustav Meyrink

Gustav Meyrink (Meyer), geboren am 19. Januar 1868 in Wien; gestorben am 4. Dezember 1932 in Starnberg. Erzähler, Dramatiker, Übersetzer. 1889-1902 Bankier in Prag. 1902 erleidet er zu Unrecht wegen Verdachts der Geldunterschlagung drei Monate Gefängnis. Er kann sich strafprozessual rehabilitieren, sein geschäftlicher und sozialer Leumund sind freilich zerrüttet. Meyrink begibt sich nach Wien, arbeitet temporär als Redakteur der satirischen Zeitschrift »Der liebe Augustin«. 1906 zieht er nach München, 1911 nach Starnberg. Seine Hauptwerke sind zugleich Klassiker der phantastischen Literatur: »Der Golem«, »Das grüne Gesicht«, »Walpurgisnacht« und »Der weiße Dominikaner«.

Reviews for Walpurgisnacht

[joe73-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Superstition, lust, witches, lucifer, incest and European revolution through an indifferent and fish eyed lens. 1917 is one of those years that defined the 20th century and pushed Europe's borders to a breaking point in which the cracks still ripple beneath the worlds feet today. The Russian Revolution, the rise of communism and the building blocks of WW2. This bizarre political and supernatural tale takes place in Prague on the eve of a revolution which just so happens to arrive at the time of Walpurgisnacht. A jaded and indifferent group of aristocrats learn, all but too late, that a peasant uprising is closing in on them through what might or might not be a personal appearance made by the devil himself. Is he real, does he influence the happenings or is the imagination of this catalyst just another reason for bloodshed? Either way it is time for change in the city of Prague. The world turns as it must and those who die will rot where they fall.This is classic literature at its finest. Coming off the gloomy, spiderweb encrusted stories of the Victorian era Gustav Meyrink paints a picture that is both drab but has a silver lining(a very difficult to see silver lining)that is having a very difficult time finding the eye of the needle. Very good literature that has been overshadowed by many other celebrated stories. A hidden gem.