Newspaper Page Text
THE ETERNAL SEARCHER
By Miriam Sterner
Fran: \f erf el, undoubtedly the oul-
jlanding Jew in world literature,
arrioed a Jew weeks ago in A ew
York to attend the rehearsals of his
new biblical spectacle, “The Road
of Promise,” which .Ifax Reinhardt
wilt present Jor the first time in
January oj next year. I his article,
tracing the characteristics oj If er-
fel the author and man, is written
b\j a journalist who knows Werjel
and his work intimately.
Franz AY eifel is one of t lie most
widely read authors yet least known
personalities in contemporary world
literature. lie does not like the
fanfare accompanying the personal
activities <>f celebrities, lie does
not delight in the adulation of
autograph hunters. lie is one of
those rare phenomena who actually
dislike publicity. The position he
has achieved in world literature is
the net result of his creative genius.
That he has achieved world-wide
fame at the age of forty-live is due
to the intrinsic value and powerful
influence of his writing.
Today lie is undoubtedly the
outstanding Jew in world literature,
and unquestionably among the live
most distinguished writers in the
world of letters. To the American
public lie is practically a new name,
although his first literary work
dates back a quarter of a century.
This because outside of the small
circle of intellectuals Franz Werfel
became known to the reading public
of this country only with the Ameri
can edition of his “Forty Days of
Musa Dagh.” His other volumes,
“Verdi,” “The Pure in Heart,”
‘Tuiilus Among the Jews,” “The
(lout Song,” “Juarez and Maximi
lian,” and so on, did not enjoy
a mass success in America. It
would, however, be untrue to con
clude that ‘The Forty Days of
M usa Dagh” represents his best
literary etfort. It became a best
seller because the circle of Werfel
readers widened with every suc
cessive volume and because the
number of contemporary novelists
of real stature is consistently di
minishing.
Few people know Werfel in
timately. lie keeps away from
literary salons. As a matter of
fact, he feels uncomfortable among
a large group of people. He has
never learned the knack of making
conversation. What he enjoys best
is intimate argumentation with an
intellectual peer. He is not a
sophist who enjoys his own argu
mentative brilliancy. He is a be
liever in his own ethical Lebensans-
chauufid. He will defend his con
victions to the last point, but only
m their fundamental aspects. On
unimportant, futile issues he is
ready to accept compromise.
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE *
Werfel the author and Werfel
the man is the eternal questioner.
He never pretends to know the
answer. He is the constant searcher
although he knows that there is no
solution to most problems.
1“ranz Werfel is the son of a com
fortably situated merchant family.
He was born at Fragile and studied
iri that city, at the Gymnasium and
the l Diversity. His father was an
energetic, imaginative business man
credited with having done more
than any one else to develop the
glove industry of his country. He
was a very sensitive individual,
interested in intellectual pursuits
and a great lover of music. Hut at
the same time he was a strict disci
plinarian who, strange to say, did
not believe in a literary vocation
for his son. Franz did not have an
easy time at home, although his
mother tenderly encouraged his
inclinations. At the age of eighteen
he already contributed verses to
the A ienna Zeit: at the age of twenty
he was a constant collaborator of
the literary supplements and peri
odicals of Prague. His father then
decided that drastic measures had
to be employed to cure his son of
the literary germ; he sent Franz to
Hamburg as a clerk in the export
business of one of his friends. Hut
the “disease” was too far advanced.
After a few months the young
AYerfel was dismissed from his
position, and against his father’s
will devoted himself to writing. His
poems, published in Die Fackel
under the editorship of Austria s
most flamboyant polemist of the
time, Karl Kraus, aroused much
attention. A year later, at the age
of twenty-one, his first volume of
poems, entitled “Dor Weltfreund,
was published in Herlin, and the
first edition of four thousand was
completely sold out in a few weeks.
One of the most fruitful periods
of Werfel’s youth was spent in the
barracks during his year of military
service, from 11)11 to 1912. He
wrote a great deal in his moments
of leisure, and registered many im
pressions. During the next two
vears he published two more vol
umes of poetry, and at the loginning
of the war his pacifist stories and
Ivncs earned him violent criticism.
This did not prevent his convo
cation to the reserve of his 1 rague
regiment. In 191*3 he was the
victim of a serious railway accident
and was immobilized in a hospital
for two months. After a slow re
covery he was commandeered to
the front, as a punishment for his
pacifist views. He served on the
Eastern front for two years and was
finally demobolized. In the mean
while his literary work had left a
mark, primarily on the youth of
that time. Together with Martin
Buber, (iustav Lindaucr and Max
Scheler he formed a secret organi
zation against the madness of mili
tarism. Ibis was his first and
last excursion into the realm of
active non-literary endeavor. Since
the end of the war he established
himself in A ienna and through his
many novels and dramas exercised
great influence on the contemporary
German novel and stage. Ten years
ago Max Reinhardt selected \\cr-
fel s “Juarez and Maximilian” for
a production, which attained a
triumphant success in \ ienna and
Berlin.
It would he presumptuous to try
to survey the entire literary career
of Franz AYerfel within the limits
of one short article. Suffice it to
say that he stands out as one of
the few writers who never sur
rendered their convictions for the
sake of temporary success.
That his books were the first ones
to be thrown into the burning pile
of the famous Nazi auto-da-fe in
1933 was inevitable. Although one
of the most widely read authors in
the German language, he was never
a German writer in the deeper
sense of the word. Out of every
thing he has written emanates an
unstilled rebellion against military
discipline and stupid authority. He
always believed in the triumph of
the senses over reason. At heart
he was much more a Latin than a
Teuton. He worshipped Verdi at
the expense of Wagner. He always
pleaded for the weak victims and
against the relentless might of the
strong. In the eyes of the Nazis he
was a defeatist, a disseminator of
the poison of international human
itarian ism against narrow’, chauvi
nistic patriotism.
In 1925 he visited Palestine. He
was lured to the Holy I>and not
moved by religious or national
emotion but rather as a mystic in
search of ancient religious atmos
phere. Many of his observations
lie used in his drama “Paulus Among
the Jews.” Hut more than ever he
felt that the Jewish tragedy not
only had never l>een formulated,
but had nevei even been presented
interrogatively.
One night, tw’o yeais ago, in the
Leipoldskronschloss. he discussed
this question with Max Reinhardt.
The great theatrical director asked
his young friend what should be
the answer of the intellectual,
creative Jew to the happenings in
the Third Reich. This night began
a series of conversations which
lasted for many weeks. The result
was the decision of Werfel to
write “The Road of Promise,”
{Please turn to Page 18)
AMERICAN
TRUST
COMPANY
Charlotte, N. C.
Capital, Surplus, and
l ndivided Profits
$2,629,433.59
RESOURCES
$53,855,986.45
DEPOSITS
$50,692,274.35
THE AMERICAN TRUST
COMPANY IS THE LARGEST
UNIT RANK (we have no
drancrea) IN THE UNITED
STATES IN ANY CITY WITH
A POPULATION OK ONE
HUNDRED THOUSAND OR
LESS, BOTH IN DEPOSITS
AND IN RESOURCES. CHAR
LOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA,
THE HOME OF THE AMERI
CAN TRUST COMPANY. HAS
A POPULATION OF EIGHTY-
THREE THOUSAND.
MEMBER OF THE
FEDERAL RESERVE
SYSTEM
1131 .