33. Rudolf Strauss: “Novella Premieres”

Vienna, published by Leopold Weiß, 1897

A Viennese writer, Rudolf Strauss, has a lot to say in a recently published short book entitled "Novellen-Premieren". Nothing significantly new. In part, things that are discussed in literary societies every evening at the beer table. How often do people complain about the rich dilettantes who only want to see themselves in print and therefore not only demand no fee from the publishers for their worthless books, but also make considerable monetary sacrifices for the honor of getting onto the book market! "Through their mass offerings, they drive down the royalties, and the talented feel compelled to produce books in a hurry for the sake of their daily bread, which tend to fall far short of their actual ability," remarks Strauß. And he is no less dismissive of the critics of these destroyers of literature. "And the sad thing is that these dilettantes are promoted on all sides, that they are thoughtlessly, often unscrupulously, undeservedly favored. In most cases, it is very young people who hold the critical sceptre, who would like to rise to the top themselves and promise themselves profit and advantage from the well-discussed. It is quite remarkable from which point of view such young people often view the works. One of them has written a completely amateurish novel that he would like to publish somewhere, and now he is doing a veritable egg dance around the books of the publisher he wants, praising them, exalting them, not knowing enough of the good. There again, they form a tight-knit clique and follow the principle of praising each other. In mighty fanfares they call the faithful to devotion for the poet, and the public may be deceived once, twice, three times, but in the end it realizes that it has been deceived, that it has been led into idolatry, loses all confidence, all desire and passes over the books as it does over the reviews." And the editors? They give young people who lack the maturity to be critics the books to review. They only do this because "the payment is completely disproportionate to the effort and because at most beginners are content with these meagre pennies, people who still make an honor out of it if they are only printed, and who only hope for a small side business. More important literary figures certainly seldom give themselves over to these short, ten-line book reviews. The amount of work it takes to read the many, often disgusting new publications is so enormous that anyone with half a talent will probably prefer to devote it to their own work. ... The sad consequence of these conditions is the complete apathy that has gradually become prevalent among the public towards all things written, an apathy that only stops at the theater. ... Masterpieces of novellism and novels disappear without a trace, and it is only when a drama has made the author famous that people sometimes turn to his long-published and previously ignored narrative works." Strauß again draws attention to the fact, also often discussed, that Sudermann had long since written several of his brilliant stories, including "Das schimmernde Bekenntnis", "Frau Sorge", when his name first became known through the theatrical success of "Ehre". This complete indifference on the part of the public also explains the strange attraction to the stage that has taken hold of all writers like an obsession; that strange attraction that leads born novelists and storytellers down the slippery and slippery paths of drama. As commonplace as these truths are today, I would like to draw your attention to Strauss' booklet, because it is written by someone whose indignation is new, who has not yet "come to terms" with these phenomena to the point of resignation and who still believes in the possibility of bringing about change in these matters, indeed, who even makes suggestions for improvement. He calls on the reciters to take on the newly published works of narrative art and to organize "novella premieres". The good works of novellism should be presented to a wider audience, just as plays are presented in the theater. And this type of publication should encourage the press and critics to treat newly published works of fiction with the same seriousness as new dramas. In Straussen's opinion, the art of recitation can only gain from this. For neither drama nor poetry is favorable to it. The latter demands an embodiment that cannot be achieved by the organ of language alone, but requires the entirety of the stage means; this arises from emotions that are too intimate to be presented to a large crowd that is dominated by the most diverse moods during the performance. Strauss speaks of his proposal full of hope. "All the narrative forces that have so far cast a spell over drama can now return to their natural creative circle, liberated and confident of victory. For all the splendor and all the glory that the stage offered them, it shows itself to them alluring and golden in the novella as well. Yes, even the proud, trembling joy at the cheers of an enthusiastic crowd - every novelist can find it at these premieres." Will at least a small part of this hope be fulfilled? One would hope so. And that is why the book is recommended to all those who are filled with just as much fresh indignation and just as much confidence as Strauss.