Meyrink was not Jewish, but was assumed to be so by many of his readers and even close associates. During his life Meyrink lived in a number of places in German-speaking Europe, most notably spending 20 years in Prague. Fired from his job in banking after it was discovered he was consulting the spirit world to make financial decisions, he moved full time into translating and writing- The Golem came out only a few years after he was arrested and imprisoned for his behavior at the bank. He was also a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a spirituality and occult movement, in London. Results of these studies and practices are found in Meyrink's works, which almost always deal with various occult traditions. Until his death Meyrink practiced yoga and meditation.

He studied theosophy, Kabbala, Christian Sophiology and Eastern mysticism. He has been described as the 'most respected German language writer in the field of supernatural fiction'. An Austrian author, novelist, dramatist, translator, and banker, he is most famous for his novel The Golem. Gustav Meyrink (1868 - 1932) was the pen name of Gustav Meyer. If you are a fan of the dark, atmospheric works of Kafka or Poe, The Golem is likely for you!įor this session, we are excited to be joined by Sten Wistrand. Through the novel, the narrator's own mental health and memories come into question. The Golem, though rarely seen, is central to the novel as a representative of the ghetto's own spirit and consciousness, brought to life by the suffering and misery that its inhabitants have endured over the centuries.

While the novel is generally focused on Pernath's own musings and adventures, it also chronicles the lives, the characters, and the interactions of his friends and neighbors. This dream was perhaps induced because he inadvertently swapped his hat with the real (older) Pernath's.

But his story is experienced by an anonymous narrator, who, during a visionary dream, assumes Pernath's identity-but thirty years before. The novel centers on the life of Athanasius Pernath, a jeweler and art restorer who lives in the ghetto of Prague. First published in serial form in 1914 in the periodical Die Weißen Blätter, The Golem was published in book form in 1915 by Kurt Wolff, Leipzig.

Golem gustav