Hugo Salus
Encyclopedia
Hugo Salus was a doctor
, writer
and poet
.
in Prague and established a practice in gynacology there from 1895 onwards. Apart from his professional activities as a doctor, he published numerous volumes of poetry and short stories, and was one of the more important exponents of German literature in the Prague of his day. A prolific author, he soon became ‘the acknowledged arbiter of Prague literary taste’, and 'the most respected Bohemian poet writing in German' at the time. An early friend and mentor of Rainer Maria Rilke
, his verse had some influence on Rilke’s early lyric style.
To some of his fellow Jewish intellectuals, he was regarded as an unadulterated "assimilationist," and "a militant protagonist of German liberalism and Jewish assimilation" whose attachment to Zionism was little more than a matter of embracing a fashionable trend (Mode-Zionismus). Lothar Kahn, on the other hand, says that while Salus was described by Max Brod
as an unqualified assimilationist, "this may be an exaggeration, Salus did hope, all else failing, for full Jewish absorption into the host society."
Of both him and his rival Friedrich Adler, Kafka biographer Peter Mailloux says, "their Jewishness existed in name only." The philosopher Emil Utitz put it a bit differently, "Both acknowledged Jews, they nevertheless felt themselves to be the authentic representatives of all Germans in Bohemia, as well as further afield. Those Germans wanted little to do with Prague in any case, and least of all with its Jews. But Salus and Adler were liberals of the old stamp." Kahn notes that "Salus made use of Jewish folkways and observances in his poetry, plays, and occasional fiction."
Apart from his professional activities as a doctor, he published numerous volumes of poetry and short stories, and was one of the more important exponents of German-Jewish literature in the Prague of his day, moving in a circle that was to include younger figures of the stature of Franz Kafka
, Max Brod, Franz Werfel
, Egon Erwin Kisch
, Oskar Baum
, Johannes Urzidil
, Paul Kornfeld
, Ernst Weiss
and Kamil Hoffmann. Several of his works were illustrated by Heinrich Vogeler
, while Arnold Schönberg set two of his poems to music.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
Life
Salus studied medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Prague and established a practice in gynacology there from 1895 onwards. Apart from his professional activities as a doctor, he published numerous volumes of poetry and short stories, and was one of the more important exponents of German literature in the Prague of his day. A prolific author, he soon became ‘the acknowledged arbiter of Prague literary taste’, and 'the most respected Bohemian poet writing in German' at the time. An early friend and mentor of Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, his verse had some influence on Rilke’s early lyric style.
To some of his fellow Jewish intellectuals, he was regarded as an unadulterated "assimilationist," and "a militant protagonist of German liberalism and Jewish assimilation" whose attachment to Zionism was little more than a matter of embracing a fashionable trend (Mode-Zionismus). Lothar Kahn, on the other hand, says that while Salus was described by Max Brod
Max Brod
Max Brod was a German-speaking Czech Jewish, later Israeli, author, composer, and journalist. Although he was a prolific writer in his own right, he is most famous as the friend and biographer of Franz Kafka...
as an unqualified assimilationist, "this may be an exaggeration, Salus did hope, all else failing, for full Jewish absorption into the host society."
Of both him and his rival Friedrich Adler, Kafka biographer Peter Mailloux says, "their Jewishness existed in name only." The philosopher Emil Utitz put it a bit differently, "Both acknowledged Jews, they nevertheless felt themselves to be the authentic representatives of all Germans in Bohemia, as well as further afield. Those Germans wanted little to do with Prague in any case, and least of all with its Jews. But Salus and Adler were liberals of the old stamp." Kahn notes that "Salus made use of Jewish folkways and observances in his poetry, plays, and occasional fiction."
Apart from his professional activities as a doctor, he published numerous volumes of poetry and short stories, and was one of the more important exponents of German-Jewish literature in the Prague of his day, moving in a circle that was to include younger figures of the stature of Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
, Max Brod, Franz Werfel
Franz Werfel
Franz Werfel was an Austrian-Bohemian novelist, playwright, and poet.- Biography :Born in Prague , Werfel was the first of three children of a wealthy manufacturer of gloves and leather goods. His mother, Albine Kussi, was the daughter of a mill owner...
, Egon Erwin Kisch
Egon Erwin Kisch
Egon Erwin Kisch was a Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. Known as the The raging reporter from Prague, Kisch was noted for his development of literary reportage and his opposition to Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.- Biography :Kisch was born into a wealthy, German-speaking...
, Oskar Baum
Oskar Baum
Oskar Baum was a Czech music educator and writer.He became blind at the age of 11.- External links :* http://www.aktion-patenschaften.de/autoren/b02.htm...
, Johannes Urzidil
Johannes Urzidil
Johannes Urzidil was a Czech-German writer, poet, historian, and journalist. Born in Prague, he died in Rome....
, Paul Kornfeld
Paul Kornfeld (playwright)
Paul Kornfeld was a Czech-born German-language Jewish writer whose expressionist plays and scholarly treatises on the theory of drama earned him a specialized niche in influencing contemporary intellectual discourse....
, Ernst Weiss
Ernst Weiss
Dr Ernst Weiss was a German-speaking Austrian author of Jewish descent. He is the author of Der Augenzeuge , a novel dealing with the Hitler period.- Biography :...
and Kamil Hoffmann. Several of his works were illustrated by Heinrich Vogeler
Heinrich Vogeler
Heinrich Vogeler was a German painter, designer, and architect.- Biography :He was born in Bremen, and studied at the academy of arts in Düsseldorf from 1890–95...
, while Arnold Schönberg set two of his poems to music.
Poems
- Gedichte. 1898
- Neue Gedichte. 1899
- Ehefrühling. 1900
- Reigen. 1900
- Christa. Ein Evangelium der Schönheit. 1902
- Ernte. 1903
- Neue Garben. 1904
- Die Blumenschale. 1908
- Glockenklang. 1911
- Das neue Buch. 1919
- Klarer Klang. 1922
- Helle Träume. 1924
- Die Harfe Gottes. 1928
Prose
- Novellen des Lyrikers. 1903
- Das blaue Fenster. 1906
- Trostbüchlein für Kinderlose. 1909
- Andersen-Kalender 1910 (12 Fairy tales)
- Schwache Helden. 1910
- Die Hochzeitsnacht. Die schwarzen Fahen. 1913
- Seelen und Sinne. 1913
- Nachdenkliche Geschichten. 1914
- Der Heimatstein und andere Erzählungen. 1915
- Sommerabend. 1916
- Die schöne Barbara. 1919
- Freund Kafkus. 1919
- Der Beschau. Eine Ghettogeschichte. 1920
- Der Jungfernpreis. 1921
- Vergangenheit. 1921
Secondary literature
- Wertheimer, Paul: Hugo Salus, Prague 1902.
- Tinkl, Lotte: Neuromantische Elemente bei Hugo Salus und Franz Herold, Diss. Vienna, 1949.
- Franzel, Emil, 'Hugo Salus. Ein Stück versunkenes Prag,' in Sudetendeutscher Kulturalmanach, 7 (1969).
- Kletzander, Hermann, Hugo Salus und der Jugendstil, Diss. Salzburg 1977.
- Abret, Helga, 'Hugo Salus und Jaroslav VrchlickýJaroslav VrchlickýJaroslav Vrchlický was one of the greatest Czech lyrical poets. He was born Emil Frida, Vrchlický being a pseudonym.He also wrote epic poetry, plays, prose and literary essays and translated widely from various languages, introducing e.g. Dante, Goethe, Shelley, Baudelaire, Poe, and Whitman to...
. Das Verhältnis beider Dichter an Hand einiger unveröffentlichter Salus-Briefe,' in Österreich in Geschichte und Literatur, 24 (1980), pp. 28–34. - Theopold, Wilhelm, Doktor und Poet dazu. Dichterärzte aus fünf Jahrhunderten, 2nd impression, Mainz 1987, ISBN 3-87409-032-9.
- Jeremy Adler & Richard Fardon, 'An Oriental in the West: The Life of Franz Baermann Steiner,’ in Franz Baermann Steiner Selected Writings, vol.1, Taboo, truth, and religion, (eds. Jeremy Adler, Richard Fardon), Berghahn Books, 1999
- Lothar Kahn, Donald D. Hook, Between two worlds: a cultural history of German-Jewish writers, Iowa State University Press, 1993
- Natalie Berger, Where cultures meet: the story of the Jews of Czechoslovakia, Beth Hatefutsoth, Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora, 1990
- Marek Nekula, Walter Koschmal, Juden zwischen Deutschen und Tschechen: sprachliche und kulturelle Identitäten in Böhmen 1800-1945, Volume 104 of Veröffentlichungen des Collegium Carolinum, Collegium Carolinum München, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 2006
- Peter Mailloux, A Hesitation Before Birth:The Life of Franz Kafka, University of Delaware Pres,1989
- Livia Rothkirchen, The Jews of Bohemia and Moravia: facing the Holocaust, University of Nebraska Press, 2005
External links
- Hugo Salus in the Bibliotheca Augustana.
- Transkriptionen at ngiyaw eBooks - also Digitalisate at ngiyaw Sources.