Jugend and Simplicissimus were two of the most popular literary and art periodicals of their time and were highly competitive with each other. So I have been highly curious to compare the two. So far my favorite has been Simplicissimus but I want to give Jugend some time and see if it will grow on me as well. This issue kind of gets off on the wrong foot by singing the praises of Bismark and the War of 1870 of which I really have no interest. Stories include:
Master of All Arts by F.v.O.; The War of 1870 by Tanera; Farewell and Gone by Albert Matthael; Spring Wind by Lisbeth Lindemann; Dusk on the Lake by Hermann von Lingg; Before and After; After and Before by Paul Heyse; The Never-Embarrassed by Georg Botticher; The Brain of Our Dear Sisters by Georg Hirth (which is satire) This issue is free to download as an Epub or PDF file.
This beautiful issue really touches the heart in so many ways! It is my favorite so far and I only wish that others could experience the magic that is in these stories! In this isssue: Ruth by Jakob Wassermann; Round Table by Arthur Holitscher; In the Castle of Mirabel by Otto Julius Bierbaum; The Over-Excited Person by Arthur Schnitzler; Prayer by Korsiz Holm; The Poor Girl by Frank Wedekind; Rival by Marcel Prüévost. This issue is free to download as Epub and PDF on my Patreon page. I encourage people to read these first issues and fall in love with them as I have and consider becoming patrons!
048 The Hounds of Romanov by Bodo Wildberg. Heta Romanov thought she was safe in the deep woods near home until a mad shepherd said that he would be the next King of Poland and she would be his queen! His hounds would come and bring her to him!
Leonhard Stein is one of Germany’s forgotten writers who disappeared shortly after World War I. His work has been compared to that of Hanns Heinz Ewers and Karl Hans Strobl and I am inclined to agree. He published three slim volumes: “The Ballet of Death”; “The Flute Player”; and “The Fire Lily”. In addition I”ve included a story from Vol 1, No. 6 of Der Orchideengarten.
The stories included in this collection are: The Electric Piano; Vampyre; The Ring; Hashish; Jaschke; The Mirror; Scherman; The Coat; Li; The Five Branched Candelabra; The Flute Player and The Fire Lily. These stories have been translated into English for the first time by Joe E. Bandel. This book is available as hardcover, paperback and epub.
The project I am currently working on is the collected works of Leonhard Stein who is considered by some to be as good as Hanns Heinz Ewers and Karl Hans Strobl. Unfortunately it seems he published three novellas and then disappeared never to be seen again! I have access to all three small books and have translated about half of The Fire Lilly a couple years ago but never finished it. Now I’m working on The Ballet of Death which is a slim volume of short stories. The final novella is The Flutist and I have no idea what to expect from it. My last Deadly Days – Tales of Dark Fantasy podcast included Vampyre which is one of the short stories in this collection. The entire collection should only be around 300 pages.
Der Orchideengarten Vol. 1 No. 18 contains the following stories and poems: The Blinded by Anonymous; The Golden Garden by Karl Hans Strobl; The Birth Seeker by L. W. Rochowanski; Dance in Montmartre by Walter Rheiner; The Duke of Portland by Villiers de l’Isle-Adam; Song by Al Kolowr. This is the first time these stories have been translated into the English language by Joe E Bandel. Layout by John Hirschhorn-Smith.
My best friend that I’ve known since 1st grade just died two days ago and I’m still dealing with it. This issue in particular touches the heart strings because it deals with such things as loss. I really love it. This issue is free to access on my patreon page.
This issue contains the following stories and poems: Poem by Ernst Hardt; The Final End by Frank Wedekind; The Fried Flounder by Paul Scheerbart; The Confession by Wilhelm von Polenz; The New Light by Jacob Wassermann; Summer Sunday Afternoon by John Henry Mackay; Mother Songs by Mia Holm; The Collector by Arthur Holitscher; Dimples by Otto Erich Hartleben.
I have wanted to explore the Simplicissimus and Jugend magazines for over twenty years but there was never any practical way to do it and there was simply not enough interest to support the time and effort required. Both of these famous literary and art magazines began in 1896 and continued well past World War I. Now I believe I have found a way to move forward with this dream. But it will need the help and support of others who find these stories, poems and the artwork as fascinating as I do.
On my Patreon page I will have links to access each magazine as a PDF and Epub file. I intend to translate at least one of each every month. The first five issues of each will be free so people can get a good idea of if they want to support this project or not. After that every other issue of each magazine will remain free to access as a PDF or Epub file and the alternate issues will only be available to my patrons who support this work and project. I’m asking $5/mo for basic patron support. This will give access to all Jugend and Simplicissimus magazines. A special Angel tier for $10/mo will allow access to all Jugend and Simplicissimus magazines plus every month I will be offering access to one of my newly published books as a PDF or Epub file beginning with Ghosts in the Swamp by Karl Hans Strobl. This will begin after my birthday on 24 April 2024.
I want to make clear that these magazines are not professionally done since I don’t have the time and energy to do so. But they will have all the stories and poems translated into English and will have examples of the interior art cut and pasted inside. To make these magazines more professional would be a nightmare. Jugend is printed in black and white interiors with lush beautiful cover and back cover art. Most pages are printed with three columns of text. I am simply making the text available as a single column with art added in the approximate locations. Simplicissimus is an even greater challenge because it was printed in newspaper format with color interior. The oversize pages allow several variations of page layout and artwork. The pages have turned yellow because of the acid in the paper aging over the years. Also the print is in Fraktur which is the old fashioned typeset that is extremely difficult to work with and translate. I’ve opted to place the text on a colored background and simply cut and paste the art in the best places to give an idea of what the original was like. You can find my Patreon site here.
This issue contains the poems and stories: Greetings to the Youth by Richard Schmidt-Cabants; Youth! Youth!; Franz von Dofregger; Unpolished Thoughts; Theater People by Ferdinand Bonn; Epitaph for a Great Doctor by Fritz Murner; Sing Song by Otto Erich Hartleben; My Cinderella by Ludwig Soyaux, So I See Him by Fritz Evers; Two Friends, an Expert and a Connoisseur by Georg Hirth; Demi-Vierge; How is She? by Frida Schanz; Poems of Meaning by Ludwig Fulda; A Very Old Story From Modern Life by F. V. Ostini; A Likeness of Hermann Allmers; How Virtue Moved into Schwarzenau by Ki-Ki-Ki; Sayings of the Confucius; An Oracle; Nobile Trifolium; Terrible!
045 Vampyre by Leonhard Stein. Samassa was a highly successful gentleman that was on his way to the top and soon to be married to his sweetheart Klara. But the new employee at his workplace was a vampyre and had other ideas.
Anarchistbanjo's World 