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<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nKeyserling isn\u2019t necessarily one of the major household names in world literature. Born in 1855 in what is now Latvia and descended from the rural nobility, he remains in literary memory as an impressionist writer of novels and novellas. He\u2019s known for his female protagonists, who rebel against the conventions of the landed gentry and the society of their time, pushing back against class boundaries and social norms. From 1908 on, blinded by syphilis, he hardly left the house. His last works (including Waves<\/em>) were dictated to his sisters, who lived with him. From what I\u2019ve read, his works were never properly appreciated; even his grave in Munich\u2019s old Nordfriedhof was only marked again in 2011. In my view, that\u2019s truly a serious oversight, and Manesse Verlag deserves great credit for making such treasures accessible to a wider audience again.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The association with impressionism (in literature roughly 1890\u20131910) is owed especially to his descriptions of nature. They are indeed outstanding: he masterfully evokes the impressions of nature\u2014the sea, the shifting light, the landscapes. Stylistically, however, I experienced him more as a realist who enriches his narratives with detailed snapshots of impressions. The result is an array of wonderfully atmospheric mood pieces that are a genuine pleasure to read.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Der Himmel wurde jetzt farbig, die Wolken am Horizont bekamen dicke goldene S\u00e4ume, und eine Welle von Rot \u00fcbergoss den Himmel. Auch in das Graugr\u00fcn des Meeres mischten sich blanke F\u00e4den, und die H\u00f6hlungen der brechenden Wellen am Strande f\u00fcllten sich mit Rosenrot, und pl\u00f6tzlich begann das Meer weiter dem Horizonte zu ganz in Rotgold zu brennen. (S. 51, Wellen)<\/p><\/blockquote>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n He doesn\u2019t necessarily use these descriptions of nature to heighten his characters\u2019 emotions, as many other authors\u2014for example, Maupassant\u2014often did. Rather, they infuse his stories with a unique atmosphere, and his beautiful depictions consistently conjured very precise images of the scenes in my mind. It\u2019s delightful to read and truly captivated me. Especially in Waves<\/em>, you feel as though you\u2019re standing on the Baltic shore yourself, listening to the rush of the sea. That might also be because I read the book on the beach in my little beach tent, which really enhanced the reading experience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n What all his works share is a critique of society that usually surfaces in a subtle way. By switching perspectives among the various characters and capturing their thoughts and especially their manner of speaking and communicating, he creates a distinctive kind of irony. The figures remain within expected bounds and represent cross-class petty bourgeois or aristocrats firmly stuck in their old structures, showing zero tolerance for even the slightest deviation from their norms. His books also paint a stark picture of women\u2019s rights at the time, and underscore how valuable the progress in this hemisphere has been in that regard. Considering how powerful the cultural imprint of social structures is and how it operates, one must conclude that Keyserling\u2019s works are more timely than ever.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I also found it interesting that the fate of his characters never fully gripped me emotionally. It\u2019s compelling to follow the course of his narratives; you want to know what happens, but you don\u2019t exactly root for the protagonists. You recognize the tragedy\u2014the inescapability of their situations is always palpable.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The first book I read was the novella Waves<\/em>. It\u2019s about Doralice, a former countess who has run away with the painter Hans Grill and turned her back on aristocratic society. The story begins with Doralice living with Hans on the Baltic coast and shows how other figures\u2014primarily from aristocratic circles and the upper classes\u2014encounter the fallen woman. Of course, Doralice\u2019s divorce was utterly unacceptable at the time, yet she\u2019s a very attractive young woman who exerts a strong pull on men and women alike. In the end, she enjoys a certain social respect, but everyone is hot for the beautiful blonde and wants to win her.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The ensemble of characters is excellently chosen\u2014very well done and entertaining. It\u2019s precisely this double standard\u2014narrow-minded thinking versus the forces of nature\u2014that forms the novel\u2019s compelling core. The sea, in particular, is constantly present and depicted masterfully in its different lights. The sea is definitely the center of the novel, and anyone who loves the classics from Mare Verlag will love this book too. The varying weather, the hues of the water, the atmosphere rising among the dunes\u2014everything is full of love for nature and the sea. That stands in sharp contrast to the constrained behavior of the aristocratic bathers, set against the simply living fishermen and locals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n I can recommend Waves<\/em> without reservation. It\u2019s a magnificent novella that I would count among the great classics of world literature.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In the late 19th century, penny dreadfuls were all the rage. They often revolved around an attractive young woman of humble origins who, through a love match with Mr. Right from a higher social class\u2014who ignores class boundaries\u2014marries into a perfect life. Keyserling\u2019s first novel is, in a sense, a parody: his protagonist does not experience the happy fate so often and so eagerly read in those popular tales.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Fr\u00e4ulein Rosa Herz<\/em> is set in a small town whose narrow-minded burghers Keyserling mercilessly exposes: a conservative, blinkered, and backward society, where everyone keeps close watch on everyone else and no deviation from entrenched class thinking is tolerated. Rosa gets involved with a scion of a wealthy family and must live with all the consequences. This novel repeatedly reminded me of Madame Bovary<\/a> or Effi Briest<\/a>. Flaubert, in particular, so vividly portrayed the petty-bourgeois way of thinking and acting\u2014and Keyserling\u2019s townspeople are in no way inferior to that depiction.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This novel, too, is sprinkled with descriptions of nature, which are not necessarily mirrors of the characters\u2019 inner states. Rather, they stand in a mutual exchange, and the figures often perceive and are influenced by their surroundings. Here as well, I found the scenes superbly rendered\u2014I could picture them perfectly. It\u2019s truly wonderful to read.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n That said, I found the book overall too long. Numerous passages are simply far too detailed or repetitive. The story could have been trimmed substantially without losing substance. By the end, though, it did grip me, and I had to know what would happen to Rosa and how it would all turn out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The third book, Dumala<\/em>, I read last\u2014and I liked it best. At the center of the novella stands Pastor Werner, who lives in the snowy, wintry province of Dumala and pines for the beautiful young Baroness Karola. As in the other two novels, the story revolves around a fixed ensemble of figures, held together by their inclination toward Karola. The way Keyserling renders the pastor\u2019s thoughts\u2014his marriage, his actions and reactions\u2014is masterful. Once again, I was enthralled by the dialogues, by the confrontations between opponents, and fascinated by the subtle, fine-grained view of this small society. You only find this in great classics\u2014it\u2019s pure enjoyment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The atmosphere in Dumala<\/em> again derives from marvelous descriptions of the setting, which here clearly gives the story a firm framework: snowy, remote, and quiet. Dark and dull, yet somehow cozy and tranquil. When the pastor wanders through the snowy forest at night, when Keyserling writes of the red light of the setting sun, or of a thick fog, I could always see the scenes vividly before my mind\u2019s eye. And that matches the aura of the individual figures perfectly. It\u2019s truly outstanding. Considering that this was the first novel Keyserling dictated to his sisters after losing his sight, it\u2019s quite a remarkable achievement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For the edition, I chose the aforementioned slipcase from Manesse Verlag. As a limited edition, there are several of these slipcases, each bundling three of those beautiful Manesse books. I think the idea is excellent, and for bibliophiles it makes a superb gift. For vacations, the small, handy books are ideal\u2014taking up hardly any space, yet offering everything a discerning reader could wish for: high-quality cloth binding, sewn binding, and a ribbon marker. A glance at my bookshelf shows quite a few of these little Manesse volumes by now. For me, like the Hanser classics and the Mare classics, they\u2019ve become a category of their own\u2014you can buy them blind and always get the finest quality.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Conclusion:<\/strong> Keyserling\u2019s three novels thoroughly impressed me. All three narratives shine with wonderful descriptions of nature, for which he is known and appreciated. Beyond that, he also possesses a very subtle mode of social critique and masterfully characterizes relationships in an exquisitely delicate way. You sink into his atmospherically dense landscapes, hover over the individual figures, empathize with them yet remain an observer, shake your head at certain utterances, and feel the social corset closing around the protagonists, enclosing them and making the inevitability of their life paths inescapable. These are fine psychological character studies that encompass society as a whole and, for me, belong right where they are in the Manesse Bibliothek der Weltliteratur<\/em>, alongside other notable titles. As always, I can only recommend the Manesse edition. These little volumes proved their worth on vacation and offer everything a bibliophile heart desires.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Book information:<\/strong> \u00abAllein wie er das Meer beschreibt!\u00bb \u2013 Die sch\u00f6nsten Romane des Stimmungsmagiers Eduard von Keyserling: Limitierte Geschenkausgabe im Schuber (3 B\u00e4nde): \u00abWellen\u00bb (Waves<\/em>), \u00abFr\u00e4ulein Rosa Herz\u00bb und \u00abDumala\u00bb \u2022 Eduard von Keyserling \u2022 Manesse Verlag \u2022 1056 Seiten \u2022 ISBN 9783717524649<\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I always choose my vacation reading with great care\u2014and most of the time the list changes several times until I\u2019ve made the perfect selection. That was, of course, the case this year as well. After scrapping my plans more than once, I settled on Eduard von Keyserling. He kept popping up for me, and other … <\/p>\n<\/a><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWaves<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Fr\u00e4ulein Rosa Herz<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Dumala<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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