Gustav Meyrink - Early Works

Early Works

During the 1900s Meyrink started publishing satiric short stories in the magazine Simplicissimus, signing it with his mother's surname. During spring 1903 Meyrink's first book, The Hot Soldier and Other Stories was released. Approximately at the same time he relocated to Vienna. Almost immediately after his arrival another compilation of his short stories, The Orchid. Strange stories, was released.

On May 8, 1905 Meyrink married Philomene Bernt, whom he had known since 1896. On July 16, 1906 his daughter Sybil Felizata was born. On January 17, 1908, just the day before Meyrink's fortieth birthday, the second son, Harro Fortunat, was born. Subsequently the main character of the second Meyrink's novel The Green Face was given the same name. During 1908 the third compilation of short stories, Waxworks, was published.

Being in need of money, Meyrink started working as a translator and he became a prolific one; during five years he managed to translate into German fifteen volumes of Charles Dickens, as well as work by Rudyard Kipling and Lafcadio Hearn. He continued translating until his death, including various occult works and even the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Meyrink also edited a series of books on the occult.

During 1911 Meyrink with his family relocated to the little Bavarian town Starnberg, and during 1913 in Munich the book named Des deutschen Spießers Wunderhorn(The German Philistine's Horn) was released. It was a compilation of short stories from the previous three books and several new ones. Many of these stories had satirical styles, ridiculing institutions such as the army and the church; Austrian writer Karl Kraus would later describe Meyrink's work as combining "Buddhism with a dislike for the infantry".