Inspired by movies – The Golem: How He Came into the World
During my third year at university, I had the opportunity to follow some classes dedicated to the gothic novel. We were supposed to read the following books:
- The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. To be honest, I didn’t like this one very much. Already at the first page, somebody gets killed. Way too early for me.
- Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. Forget all the movies you have seen about the monster. The book is way better, because it offers a lot of psychological insight of the monster. And it’s one of the very first science fiction novels as well. Very enjoyable to read.
- Dracula by Bram Stoker. I was captivated from the first words! There were a lot more story lines and characters in this novel than I had expected. Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation by the way is a really good one.
- The Golem by Gustav Meyrink. My absolute favorite and one of the best books I have ever read, although not always very easy to read. The book focuses on a jeweler and art restorer who lives in the ghetto of Prague. The Golem himself is a mysterious, mythical character, symbolizing the spirit of the ghetto.
But the name Golem is also connected to something else. There is a 19th century legend of a rabbi, who made a creature out of clay, that was supposed to help the rabbi and even to defend the Jews in the ghetto of Prague. This legend is also briefly mentioned in the novel by Gustav Meyrink.
About a year later, a couple of friends of mine and myself had the opportunity to see The Golem: How He Came into the World, made in 1920 by Paul Wegener, in a movie theater. We were very excited about this, since we all loved the novel so much. And let’s face it: you don’t see a silent movie every day!
But we were to be disappointed. The movie was not based on the book, but on the legend itself. And to make it more appealing to a bigger audience, the director had concocted a ludicrous love story. What should have been an exciting experience, turned into something hilarious and at moments even silly. Somehow, it became unforgettable, but not in the way we had anticipated it…
And I found it on YouTube!
And when The Viking and I were in Prague, we made a surprising discovery about this Golem! But that’s for the next blog post!
10 Comments on “Inspired by movies – The Golem: How He Came into the World”
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I love this post! I’ve always been really captivated by the Golem and by Prague. You might like to look up The Three Golden Keys, by Peter Sis. (http://www.petersis.com/content/golden_keys.html) It’s a children’s book about exploring the magic of Prague, and your photos and stories really remind me of it!
Thanks, Marissa, will have a look at it later!
I absolutely loved this post. I’d heard mention of Golem and didn’t give it a second thought as to who or what it was. Now I will have to go and “The Golem.” Maybe I will have to buy it since you said it was a intricate read. That way I can take my time. Thank you for such an interesting post.
My brother would have loved your blog. He lived in Holland but loved Prague.
It’s a very good book, you’ll like it!
I’m always learning fascinating things on your blog. I thought I should stop by and leave a comment – even though my person still is not caught up with everything yet – we miss stopping by and visiting our blogging friends.
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I got around to reading “Frankenstein” when I came to San Diego in 1993. I took 11 months off from life and just did the things I wanted to do, including a lot of reading.
Thanks for the comment!
Thank you for more wonderful stories of your travels. I was in Prague some ten years ago. Wow! That’s a town you really feel. So atmospheric. And Kafka’s house. I think of the giant McMansions they build here in the U.S. and laugh. And thank you for reminding me of some great literature – and pointing me to one I had not known: I knew the golem legend, but did not know about the novel by Gustav Meyrink. I will check it out!
Please do, you’ll like it!