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Гойя, или трудният път към прозрението
An historical fiction about the life of Francisco Goya
572 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1951
72 people are currently reading
2398 people want to read
About the author
Lion Feuchtwanger
147 books264 followersLion Feuchtwanger was a German Jewish emigre. A renowned novelist and playwright who fled Europe during World War II and lived in Los Angeles from 1941 until his death.
A fierce critic of the Nazi regime years before it assumed power precipitated his departure, after a brief internment in France, from Europe. He and his wife Marta obtained asylum in the United States in 1941 and remained there in exile until they died.
A fierce critic of the Nazi regime years before it assumed power precipitated his departure, after a brief internment in France, from Europe. He and his wife Marta obtained asylum in the United States in 1941 and remained there in exile until they died.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
January 17, 2016
E trist cum cărţile de duzia au prins o popularitate crescândă în secolul XX (atingând apogeul în secolul XXI), umbrind literatura de calitate. Eu am o teorie cu privire la asta şi îl situez pe Lion Feuchtwanger chiar deasupra lui Hemingway (deşi sunt reverenţios cu privire la opera americanului): sunt cărţi "pentru mase", care spun o poveste fără nicio noimă, care relatează o întâmplare cu gloanţe, cu monştri ori una de dragoste, banală, intriga celor din urmă stand în "vai! ce mult am suferit!" (şi le mai vezi scrise şi la persoana I). Eu nu sunt deloc atât de "împământenit" încât să nu înţeleg asta, în schimb e o diferenţă uriaşă între Werther ori Ştefan Gheorghidiu (care nu suferă pentru domniţa respectivă, ci pentru ceea ce ar fi vrut să fie ea... şi n-a fost) şi personajele principale ale acestora; sunt apoi cărţi scrise fluent, cărţi ca o apă lină, de munte, cu un fir narativ închegat şi cu o psihologie complexă, aici fiind situat -de exemplu!- Hemingway cu mai toate romanele sale; în cele din urmă, sunt cărţi -ca cea de faţă- care nu numai că au firul narativ închegat şi înlănţuit, ci -mai mult de atât!- tratează teme sociale care aparent n-au nicio importantă (condiţia artistului în cadrul istoriei, în cazul de faţă), dar care, privite atent, te lasă buimăcit. Unde mai punem că cititorul deprinde şi ambientul patriarhal al poporului spaniol, biografia lui Goya sau lucrurile care l-au determinat să fie un artist în adevăratul sens al cuvântului (o mare iubire, spre exemplu!).
Evreu la origini, Feuchtwanger a fost nevoit să fugă în America odată cu ascensiunea criminalei maşini naţional-socialiste. Romanele sale istorice tratează teme ca rasismul, libertatea (de citit "Vulpile în vie", roman asupra căruia o să revin cu o recenzie), antisemitismul, religia, arta sau originea divină a dinastiilor regale. Aparent, un om educat ar spune că rasismul trebuie combătut, libertatea trebuie să fie, evreii sunt oameni, religia... să fie, dar să ne iubim cu toţii, arta e frumoasă în toate formele ei, iar monarhii sunt -înainte de toate!- oameni. Sigur... nu spune nimeni că nu. Dar care e originea libertăţii sau a asupririi? Dar a religiei? Dar a conceptului de "rasă" dacă rezonam cu religia (oricare ar fi ea!)?
Feuchtwanger prezintă -în fine!- funcţia educativă şi valoarea moralizatoare a istoriei. Iar, Goya, căruia umanitatea, pe lângă arta sa (pe care a lăsat-o cu o deosebită consideraţie poporului spaniol), îi datorează o închinăciune pentru că el -ca om şi ca artist- a contribuit la declinul Inchiziţiei -acel tribunal religios ce a frânat atât de mult avântul uman!- care, la începutul secolului XIX, încă era puterea supreama în Spania.
Recenzie promisă şi dedicată lui Klein (dar nu numai), în cinstea viitoarei sale creaţii de ordin poetic şi pictural.
Andrei Tamaş,
16 ianuarie 2016
Evreu la origini, Feuchtwanger a fost nevoit să fugă în America odată cu ascensiunea criminalei maşini naţional-socialiste. Romanele sale istorice tratează teme ca rasismul, libertatea (de citit "Vulpile în vie", roman asupra căruia o să revin cu o recenzie), antisemitismul, religia, arta sau originea divină a dinastiilor regale. Aparent, un om educat ar spune că rasismul trebuie combătut, libertatea trebuie să fie, evreii sunt oameni, religia... să fie, dar să ne iubim cu toţii, arta e frumoasă în toate formele ei, iar monarhii sunt -înainte de toate!- oameni. Sigur... nu spune nimeni că nu. Dar care e originea libertăţii sau a asupririi? Dar a religiei? Dar a conceptului de "rasă" dacă rezonam cu religia (oricare ar fi ea!)?
Feuchtwanger prezintă -în fine!- funcţia educativă şi valoarea moralizatoare a istoriei. Iar, Goya, căruia umanitatea, pe lângă arta sa (pe care a lăsat-o cu o deosebită consideraţie poporului spaniol), îi datorează o închinăciune pentru că el -ca om şi ca artist- a contribuit la declinul Inchiziţiei -acel tribunal religios ce a frânat atât de mult avântul uman!- care, la începutul secolului XIX, încă era puterea supreama în Spania.
Recenzie promisă şi dedicată lui Klein (dar nu numai), în cinstea viitoarei sale creaţii de ordin poetic şi pictural.
Andrei Tamaş,
16 ianuarie 2016
May 9, 2023
Lion Feuchtwanger [1884-1958] è stato uno scrittore e drammaturgo tedesco noto soprattutto per la trilogia dedicata a Flavio Giuseppe, personaggio storico vissuto ai tempi dell’imperatore Vespasiano negli anni della guerra tra Roma e gli Zeloti. Ma ho voluto iniziare la mia conoscenza personale con l’opera di questo scrittore dalla biografia romanzata del pittore spagnolo Francisco Goya che nell’edizione italiana “Medusa” Mondadori del 1953 ha preso il titolo fuorviante di “Cayetana, amante e strega”. Per fortuna ci ha pensato l’editore Castelvecchi a ristamparlo recentemente con il titolo corretto dall’originale “Goya o l’Amara via della Conoscenza”.
Questo libro mi interamente conquistato non soltanto per l’argomento così interessante della vita privata e pubblica di un artista che ha saputo lentamente ma inesorabilmente far rifulgere le sue doti e la sua originalità e modernità in fiero contrasto con i pittori spagnoli dell’epoca, ancorati al mito di Velazquez defunto da più di cento anni e soprattutto duellare artisticamente con un vicino così ingombrante come il noto artista francese Jacques-Louis David, ma l’opera di Feutchwanger brilla anche per la disamina attenta e circostanziata del contesto storico, politico e religioso di quei decenni a cavallo tra la fine del XVIII e gli inizi del XIX secolo con gli ancora recenti orrori della Rivoluzione Francese prima e l’avvento del guerrafondaio Napoleone successivamente, quando in Spagna, accanto all’assolutismo di Re Carlo IV di Borbone e una nobiltà beghina, la Sacra Inquisizione era ancora una realtà temibile e incontenibile davanti a cui tutti si inchinavano impauriti. Ma Francisco Goya, detto “el sordo” per aver perso in età matura il senso dell’udito, andò avanti per la sua strada, sfidò con la sua arte l’ipocrisia e la bigotteria imperanti grazie anche a una sottile ironia che accompagnò la sua vita e le sue opere.
Questo libro mi interamente conquistato non soltanto per l’argomento così interessante della vita privata e pubblica di un artista che ha saputo lentamente ma inesorabilmente far rifulgere le sue doti e la sua originalità e modernità in fiero contrasto con i pittori spagnoli dell’epoca, ancorati al mito di Velazquez defunto da più di cento anni e soprattutto duellare artisticamente con un vicino così ingombrante come il noto artista francese Jacques-Louis David, ma l’opera di Feutchwanger brilla anche per la disamina attenta e circostanziata del contesto storico, politico e religioso di quei decenni a cavallo tra la fine del XVIII e gli inizi del XIX secolo con gli ancora recenti orrori della Rivoluzione Francese prima e l’avvento del guerrafondaio Napoleone successivamente, quando in Spagna, accanto all’assolutismo di Re Carlo IV di Borbone e una nobiltà beghina, la Sacra Inquisizione era ancora una realtà temibile e incontenibile davanti a cui tutti si inchinavano impauriti. Ma Francisco Goya, detto “el sordo” per aver perso in età matura il senso dell’udito, andò avanti per la sua strada, sfidò con la sua arte l’ipocrisia e la bigotteria imperanti grazie anche a una sottile ironia che accompagnò la sua vita e le sue opere.
September 16, 2009
This book is so much to me, I love it, I loved reading it, I love thinking about it still and I have to read it again really soon! (On the other hand I want to spare it, because I know how good it is and wait till I read it again... this was my fist Feuchtwanger and maybe I'll just wait till I've read everything else by him...)
Anyway. I only came by Goya (the artist), because the lead singer of my favorite band when I was a teenager (and a bit still) mentioned how much he adored Goya's paintings. Then by chance on my way to Spain at the airport bookstore I saw this painting by Goya on a book cover, read the jacket text and was intrigued.
And this book captured me from the first page. There were so many things, first the incredibly beautiful language of Feuchtwanger, which I hadn't known before. Then his way of telling a story, with so much authority and humbleness at the same time. Then Goya of course, the man, the story, the life.
I lived inside this book for some days, I read sentences and passages over and over again, and still had the impression that there was so much more inside it, which I couldn't reach just then.
It's a complex portrait, frank and stern and exigent, but bristling with life, power, genius and will.
And I really can't say much more about it. When I finished it I was aghast to find out that Feuchtwanger never wrote the second part that was initially intended.
Altogether however, while this is one of my all time favorite books and I also believe it is one of the most important and best books ever written in general - I do not know that everybody would love this book the way I do. Maybe like Feuchtwanger in general is considered an important writer, but not necessarily deemed too read-able. I however have to keep myself from screaming with pleasure whenever I read some of his work.
So I would want to recommend this book to everybody everywhere, but I have a feeling that it is not a book for everybody.
Anyway. I only came by Goya (the artist), because the lead singer of my favorite band when I was a teenager (and a bit still) mentioned how much he adored Goya's paintings. Then by chance on my way to Spain at the airport bookstore I saw this painting by Goya on a book cover, read the jacket text and was intrigued.
And this book captured me from the first page. There were so many things, first the incredibly beautiful language of Feuchtwanger, which I hadn't known before. Then his way of telling a story, with so much authority and humbleness at the same time. Then Goya of course, the man, the story, the life.
I lived inside this book for some days, I read sentences and passages over and over again, and still had the impression that there was so much more inside it, which I couldn't reach just then.
It's a complex portrait, frank and stern and exigent, but bristling with life, power, genius and will.
And I really can't say much more about it. When I finished it I was aghast to find out that Feuchtwanger never wrote the second part that was initially intended.
Altogether however, while this is one of my all time favorite books and I also believe it is one of the most important and best books ever written in general - I do not know that everybody would love this book the way I do. Maybe like Feuchtwanger in general is considered an important writer, but not necessarily deemed too read-able. I however have to keep myself from screaming with pleasure whenever I read some of his work.
So I would want to recommend this book to everybody everywhere, but I have a feeling that it is not a book for everybody.
December 22, 2012
I finished this book feeling filled up but wanting more. I kept it with me from the day and time I started it until I finished. I feel the author alive with me now. I feel Goya alive with me now. I felt Goya's paintings come to life. They are still alive and with me. I lived and breathed the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution - The truth about the suppression of art, ideas, thoughts and beliefs of all kinds.
THIS IS MORE THAN A BOOK! I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!
I will be reading Lion Feuchtwanger again. SOON!
THIS IS MORE THAN A BOOK! I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT IT!
I will be reading Lion Feuchtwanger again. SOON!
June 26, 2014
This is an utterly enjoyable book, certainly one the best historical novels ever written about Spain or about the lives of famous painters. Feuchtwanger transports the reader to late 18th century Madrid and into the inner workings of the Spanish court. He does an excellent job with the very ambitious task of recreating the deeply conflicted inner world of a great artist, and he captures the spirit and character of Goya in a way that is both plausible and compelling. Especially well done is Goya’s preoccupation with demons, madness, and inner darkness. One suspects that Feuchtwanger was a Jungian, but even if he wasn’t he certainly had an admirable understanding of the human psyche; Goya takes on his Shadow aspects directly through his more horrific engravings and paintings but remains a great lover of life, of theatre and music and the sensory details of color and texture and clothing, and especially of women. This is a living, breathing Goya, one we recognize instinctually, and Feuchtwanger’s genius is to bring him to life in the course of a dramatic, page-turning narrative.
Feuchtwanger does a particularly good job of getting into the mind of the painter as he creates some of his greatest works; I found myself looking up many of Goya’s familiar paintings and appreciating them in an entirely new light. The character portraits of Carlos IV, Maria Luisa, and Manuel Godoy are utterly believable, the 18th century Spanish struggle between the forces of enlightenment and conservatism (as represented by a reinvigorated Inquisition) is convincingly laid out, and the love story between the artist and the Duchess of Alba is particularly compelling. There is much a novelist could learn from this book in terms of how to fashion a love story that is almost unbearably sweet while at the same time dramatic and filled with raging conflict.
One could complain that one of the most dramatically rich aspects of Goya’s life is left out: the Napoleonic invasion and occupation of Madrid, which resulted in two of Goya’s greatest paintings. But I am inclined to bow to Feuchtwanger’s preference in this regard; the truth is that if you opened that can of worms it might lead to another book entirely, though I must say it is a book I would love to read. There are a few glaring inaccuracies or at least questionable suppositions in the book, such as who really was the model for the naked and clothed Majas, but in the scheme of things these are minor flaws.
The fact is, this is an extremely compelling and dramatic account of one of history’s greatest painters living at the heart of events in the fascinating twilight years of the Spanish empire. I learned a great deal from reading this fiction that would have been impossible to know from a straight read of the historical record. This is a feat that only the best of historical novels can achieve, and I would definitely put this novel near the top of that category. Highly recommended.
Feuchtwanger does a particularly good job of getting into the mind of the painter as he creates some of his greatest works; I found myself looking up many of Goya’s familiar paintings and appreciating them in an entirely new light. The character portraits of Carlos IV, Maria Luisa, and Manuel Godoy are utterly believable, the 18th century Spanish struggle between the forces of enlightenment and conservatism (as represented by a reinvigorated Inquisition) is convincingly laid out, and the love story between the artist and the Duchess of Alba is particularly compelling. There is much a novelist could learn from this book in terms of how to fashion a love story that is almost unbearably sweet while at the same time dramatic and filled with raging conflict.
One could complain that one of the most dramatically rich aspects of Goya’s life is left out: the Napoleonic invasion and occupation of Madrid, which resulted in two of Goya’s greatest paintings. But I am inclined to bow to Feuchtwanger’s preference in this regard; the truth is that if you opened that can of worms it might lead to another book entirely, though I must say it is a book I would love to read. There are a few glaring inaccuracies or at least questionable suppositions in the book, such as who really was the model for the naked and clothed Majas, but in the scheme of things these are minor flaws.
The fact is, this is an extremely compelling and dramatic account of one of history’s greatest painters living at the heart of events in the fascinating twilight years of the Spanish empire. I learned a great deal from reading this fiction that would have been impossible to know from a straight read of the historical record. This is a feat that only the best of historical novels can achieve, and I would definitely put this novel near the top of that category. Highly recommended.
November 26, 2008
no better book on Goya's Spain has ever been written
July 15, 2018
Macht Spaß, ist exzellent recherchiert, gut und spannend geschrieben und eröffnet neue - teils spekulative - Blickweisen auf die Werke Goyas.
June 9, 2023
This 500+ page novel is a historical fiction account centered around Francisco Goya, one of Spain's most renowned painters.
Because he was the court painter for Charles IV during turbulent times (Napoleonic wars, Inquisition, need I say more?), the novel is rich with cultural and historical context that I loved. It was also interesting to read about the evolution of Goya's political views and his internal struggles. He believes in the divinity of royal power while perceiving how it harms the state (with incompetent favorites holding essential positions, etc.). He's skeptical of reforms and those who propose them while acknowledging that he benefits from the current system as the royal painter with an enormous salary.
Goya's affair with the Duchess of Alba, the love/hate relationship the two of them had is also a huge component of the novel. Both are extremely passionate and proud people, so they clash, and sparks fly, often hurting one or both of them. They part and reunite time and again amid personal and political struggles; they deal with loss, grief, and guilt, and Goya struggles with impending deafness.
Overall, a fascinating novel that made me curious to read a non-fiction book about the history of Spain. Also, a biography of Goya, to see how much of this novel was Feuchtwanger's invention vs. fact.
Because he was the court painter for Charles IV during turbulent times (Napoleonic wars, Inquisition, need I say more?), the novel is rich with cultural and historical context that I loved. It was also interesting to read about the evolution of Goya's political views and his internal struggles. He believes in the divinity of royal power while perceiving how it harms the state (with incompetent favorites holding essential positions, etc.). He's skeptical of reforms and those who propose them while acknowledging that he benefits from the current system as the royal painter with an enormous salary.
Goya's affair with the Duchess of Alba, the love/hate relationship the two of them had is also a huge component of the novel. Both are extremely passionate and proud people, so they clash, and sparks fly, often hurting one or both of them. They part and reunite time and again amid personal and political struggles; they deal with loss, grief, and guilt, and Goya struggles with impending deafness.
Overall, a fascinating novel that made me curious to read a non-fiction book about the history of Spain. Also, a biography of Goya, to see how much of this novel was Feuchtwanger's invention vs. fact.
October 30, 2017
Так получилось, что мне довелось практически одну за другой прочитать две книги Л.Фейхтвангера: "Испанскую балладу" и вот теперь биографию Ф.Гойи. И насколько мне пришлась по душе пер��ая книга, настолько же муторной оказалась вторая.
Книга начинает знакомство с художником, когда тот в самом расцвете физических сил стоит на пороге открытий. Ему повезло: крестьянский сын, он научился рисованию и искусству живописи у хорошего мастера, после чего удачно женился - по любви и с шурином-первым живописцем испанского королевства - и прозябать в нищете, не имея возможности писать хорошими красками, ему не пришлось. Ему часто заказывали портреты себя или своих любовниц высокопоставленные чиновники, много портретов друзей и своих женщин он писал для себя - хорошие вещи, но коммерческие.
В то же время внутри него постепенно нарастало нечто, что давило на него изнутри, пытаясь вырваться наружу, на холст.
Сложный период, переживаемый Испанией в конце 18 века - распущенность аристократии, вынужденное объединение с новообразованной Республикой Франции, тяжелые условия сотрудничества непосредственно с Наполеоном, война испанской королевской четы с собственной дочерью, правившей в Португалии, все еще сильная позиция Инквизиции, - все это явилось фоном повествования и внешними источниками стресса для Гойи.
Кроме этого, Гойю угораздило небезответно полюбить герцогиню Альба, и чувство это было очень страстным, очень мучительным для обоих и для близких им людей. Оба страдали, ненавидели друг друга, любили, дико ревновали и смеялись друг над другом. Хочется верить, что это было их счастье, такое непонятное и странное для остальных.
Судьба была неумолима, и в довершение всего Гойя оглох.
Много всего навалилось на него, но именно благодаря трудностям родился гениальный альбом офортов "Капричос", парад уродцев, пороков, мерзостей. И именно рисунки из этого альбома запоминаются, именно по ним Гойя сегодня, в основном и узнается. Этот альбом - его потайной выпестованный мир - грязный, противный, неприятный, но свой и гениальный.
Книга очень тяжело читалась, несмотря на отличнейший перевод еще советских времен: сюжет малоподвижен, хорошо прорисованные герои, тем не менее, оживать не торопились, но толклись кучкой и нервно подрагивали конечностями.
Книга начинает знакомство с художником, когда тот в самом расцвете физических сил стоит на пороге открытий. Ему повезло: крестьянский сын, он научился рисованию и искусству живописи у хорошего мастера, после чего удачно женился - по любви и с шурином-первым живописцем испанского королевства - и прозябать в нищете, не имея возможности писать хорошими красками, ему не пришлось. Ему часто заказывали портреты себя или своих любовниц высокопоставленные чиновники, много портретов друзей и своих женщин он писал для себя - хорошие вещи, но коммерческие.
В то же время внутри него постепенно нарастало нечто, что давило на него изнутри, пытаясь вырваться наружу, на холст.
Сложный период, переживаемый Испанией в конце 18 века - распущенность аристократии, вынужденное объединение с новообразованной Республикой Франции, тяжелые условия сотрудничества непосредственно с Наполеоном, война испанской королевской четы с собственной дочерью, правившей в Португалии, все еще сильная позиция Инквизиции, - все это явилось фоном повествования и внешними источниками стресса для Гойи.
Кроме этого, Гойю угораздило небезответно полюбить герцогиню Альба, и чувство это было очень страстным, очень мучительным для обоих и для близких им людей. Оба страдали, ненавидели друг друга, любили, дико ревновали и смеялись друг над другом. Хочется верить, что это было их счастье, такое непонятное и странное для остальных.
Судьба была неумолима, и в довершение всего Гойя оглох.
Много всего навалилось на него, но именно благодаря трудностям родился гениальный альбом офортов "Капричос", парад уродцев, пороков, мерзостей. И именно рисунки из этого альбома запоминаются, именно по ним Гойя сегодня, в основном и узнается. Этот альбом - его потайной выпестованный мир - грязный, противный, неприятный, но свой и гениальный.
Книга очень тяжело читалась, несмотря на отличнейший перевод еще советских времен: сюжет малоподвижен, хорошо прорисованные герои, тем не менее, оживать не торопились, но толклись кучкой и нервно подрагивали конечностями.
March 28, 2020
Есть что-то волшебное в том, чтобы случайно выбирать с полок семейной библиотеки книгу, автора и содержания которой ты не знаешь, и открывать для себя "с чистого листа", без каких-либо ожиданий или предубеждений это произведение. Именно так я наткнулась на эту книгу, повествующую о жизни испанского художника Франсиско "Франчо" Гойя в Испании конца 18 века. История напоминает историко-приключенский роман в духе Дюмы: только если в произведениях Дюмы перед нами открывается чопорно роскошный мир Франции 18 века, то в произведении Фейхтвангера читатель погружается в загадочно-пленящий мир Испании: в церемониал венценосных особ, в перепитии жизни грандов, окружающих испанский двор, в тяготы и прелести жизни испанского народа. Автору удалось метко передать всю противоречивость испанской натуры: ее гордость и покорность судьбе, сочетание простоты крестьянского быта и чопорности знати, стремления к независимости и слепой преданности религиозным предрассудкам. Одним из центральных понятий произведений является феномен "махи" - гордой испанской девушки, которая своенравна и смела, в которой воплощается вся природа испанской гордости. Удивительно, конечно, как отличается испанская культура и природа от нашей. Но тем более, она притягательна.
Сам художник в течение всего произведения проходит через разные этапы познания себя, которые воплощаются в развитии его творчества. Большую роль автор уделяет его всепоглощающей любви к своенравной Каэтане, которая наделяет его наивысшим счастьем и причиняет ему самые большие страдания.
В произведении двумя отчетливыми красными линиями прослеживается два параллельных неотделимых друг от друга сюжета: личные события и переживания жизни художника и политическая обстановка в Испании. Автор обнаруживает жестокие несправедливости жизни, которые неизбежно присутствуют в политике, он показывает всю беспощадность и ужасающе разнузданный произвол инквизиции, на примере дона Мануэля представлено губительное влияние власти и самолюбия у государственных деятелей. И при этом показан героизм патриотов своего государства, борцов за лучшее будущее своей страны, несмотря на преграды и козни, которые им строятся.
Сам художник в течение всего произведения проходит через разные этапы познания себя, которые воплощаются в развитии его творчества. Большую роль автор уделяет его всепоглощающей любви к своенравной Каэтане, которая наделяет его наивысшим счастьем и причиняет ему самые большие страдания.
В произведении двумя отчетливыми красными линиями прослеживается два параллельных неотделимых друг от друга сюжета: личные события и переживания жизни художника и политическая обстановка в Испании. Автор обнаруживает жестокие несправедливости жизни, которые неизбежно присутствуют в политике, он показывает всю беспощадность и ужасающе разнузданный произвол инквизиции, на примере дона Мануэля представлено губительное влияние власти и самолюбия у государственных деятелей. И при этом показан героизм патриотов своего государства, борцов за лучшее будущее своей страны, несмотря на преграды и козни, которые им строятся.
August 30, 2008
I absolutely love Feuchtwanger, he is one of my all-time favourite authors. This book is really quite brilliant but then again, I am yet to find a Feuchtwanger book I don't like.
In this one, he narrates the life of the Spanish painter Goya, and he really brings Goya (whose paintings and drawings just fascinate me!) to life. I wish he had written the second part because it does end a bit abrupt, I thought. I'm still to read a non-fiction biography of Goya so I'm not sure how "accurate" Feuchtwanger's portrayal of Goya is but I found it really engaging and illuminating. I suspect though that Feuchtwanger would have done a bit of research, so perhaps his novel isn't too far off...
In this one, he narrates the life of the Spanish painter Goya, and he really brings Goya (whose paintings and drawings just fascinate me!) to life. I wish he had written the second part because it does end a bit abrupt, I thought. I'm still to read a non-fiction biography of Goya so I'm not sure how "accurate" Feuchtwanger's portrayal of Goya is but I found it really engaging and illuminating. I suspect though that Feuchtwanger would have done a bit of research, so perhaps his novel isn't too far off...
August 9, 2009
Epic Classics - Lion Feuchtwanger was able to create such ingenious work
that will be read for hundred years! Everyone should read it !
that will be read for hundred years! Everyone should read it !
January 10, 2025
I really enjoyed this book — one of the most absorbing history books I’ve read. Quite an easier read than other histories as well. The only problem is that I tended to forget it’s just a novel based in history and not a purely factual book. If I was a better academic, I would’ve researched everything I read to figure out what draws from fact and what’s been fictionalized, but I did not do so for much of the story and as a result probably now assume some things about Spanish history that may be embellished or completely invented. Regardless, this era of Spanish history and the personalities of the grandees of the Royal Court are extremely interesting to me. Goya was a complex and talented man with a deeply fascinating, creative, political, religious, tortured, passionate life. His story will stick with me. I desperately want to return to Spain so I can appreciate the Goyas I saw there with this new perspective about his life.
Feuchtwanger’s writing is great and contributed largely to the ease of reading as well. His descriptions of Goya’s paintings are excellent; I could visualize the subtleties of lighting and color and facial expressions that Goya is so well known for. And, of course, there’s the bonus fact that the book contains reproductions of many of these works (some in stunning color). My only complaint is that these reproductions often did not fall in line with the works’ appearance in the story, but could appear dozens of pages before or after. Generally, though, I am obsessed with the concept of this series — novels about artists that are illustrated by the artists’ own works — and want to read the Rembrandt one next.
The way Feuchtwanger portrays the love and passion between Goya and the Duchess of Alba deserves separate praise. It’s a love that drove Goya absolutely mad — love mixed with hatred, teetering on actual insanity, the highest peaks and the lowest valleys, haunting him so much that he actually begins to see demons. I’ve never experienced so intense a passion as this before, but I was fascinated by how Feuchtwanger rendered it. I particularly enjoyed this relationship as contrasted with Goya’s innate ability to read people other than the Duchess so well. I highlighted one passage that struck me, which I’ll leave here:
“He realized more deeply than by mere reason, he felt with his whole being, all the contradictory qualities which can exist at once in a single person and do exist in us all. This woman, he knew for he had experienced it, could surrender herself wholly, be tenderly, passionately selfless, as no other. She could say "I love only you" in a voice that melted one, which could penetrate his bell of silence, yet here she was crawling about on the floor, undignified, playfully bawdy, with a laugh the lascivious shrillness of which was so palpable that it pierced his deafness. But that was how she was. So was everyone. So he was himself. He ascended into the purest Heaven and plunged down into the abyss of filth. He could be utterly enraptured by a magical interplay of colour, then cast his brushes aside, go away without even washing them, and throw himself, hot with lust, on some woman. That is how human beings are made. They eat olla podrida, wax enthusiastic over Velázquez, pride themselves on their own work, wallow in dirty beds with some creature they buy for five reals, draw pictures of demons, and consider whether they can squeeze a thousand reals more out of so-and-so for a portrait.”
Feuchtwanger’s writing is great and contributed largely to the ease of reading as well. His descriptions of Goya’s paintings are excellent; I could visualize the subtleties of lighting and color and facial expressions that Goya is so well known for. And, of course, there’s the bonus fact that the book contains reproductions of many of these works (some in stunning color). My only complaint is that these reproductions often did not fall in line with the works’ appearance in the story, but could appear dozens of pages before or after. Generally, though, I am obsessed with the concept of this series — novels about artists that are illustrated by the artists’ own works — and want to read the Rembrandt one next.
The way Feuchtwanger portrays the love and passion between Goya and the Duchess of Alba deserves separate praise. It’s a love that drove Goya absolutely mad — love mixed with hatred, teetering on actual insanity, the highest peaks and the lowest valleys, haunting him so much that he actually begins to see demons. I’ve never experienced so intense a passion as this before, but I was fascinated by how Feuchtwanger rendered it. I particularly enjoyed this relationship as contrasted with Goya’s innate ability to read people other than the Duchess so well. I highlighted one passage that struck me, which I’ll leave here:
“He realized more deeply than by mere reason, he felt with his whole being, all the contradictory qualities which can exist at once in a single person and do exist in us all. This woman, he knew for he had experienced it, could surrender herself wholly, be tenderly, passionately selfless, as no other. She could say "I love only you" in a voice that melted one, which could penetrate his bell of silence, yet here she was crawling about on the floor, undignified, playfully bawdy, with a laugh the lascivious shrillness of which was so palpable that it pierced his deafness. But that was how she was. So was everyone. So he was himself. He ascended into the purest Heaven and plunged down into the abyss of filth. He could be utterly enraptured by a magical interplay of colour, then cast his brushes aside, go away without even washing them, and throw himself, hot with lust, on some woman. That is how human beings are made. They eat olla podrida, wax enthusiastic over Velázquez, pride themselves on their own work, wallow in dirty beds with some creature they buy for five reals, draw pictures of demons, and consider whether they can squeeze a thousand reals more out of so-and-so for a portrait.”
February 8, 2023
I saw in the plot summary that this book is described as a rich tapestry, and I cannot think of a better comparison. The story is vivid and authentic, as if it is happening right in front of the reader's eyes. The author weaves the story and leads us through the turbulent Spain of the Napoleonic era. We are not spared anything - the court drama, the inevitable aging of the queen, the cruel, yet somehow also good nature of the Duchess of Alba. The Spanish Inquisition dispenses justice, as seen from their perspective, while French aristocrats, fleeing from the perished French monarchy, try to impose their way of life in Madrid. And, of course, Francisco Goya. We see him in his most majestic days, and in his worse moments. His soul is laid out before us, and even its darkest corners are visible. We cannot help, but accompany him through his highs and lows, and to look over his shoulder, as he creates the canvases, which will make him immortal.
October 24, 2025
This book is a broad fictional account of Francisco Goya’s life and work in 18th century Spain. It depicts his transformation from an indifferent, apolitical artist at the service of the crown, to a rebel against the prevailing injustice, hypocrisy, cruelty and ignorance of those times. It's an interesting read if you like historical fiction, but beware of the tedious back-and-forth romances if you're not a fan.
October 17, 2019
Én az ilyesmiken szerettem meg az olvasást: ezeken a szépirodalmi igénnyel megírt történelmi regényeken, amik olyan sűrűek, hogy megáll bennük a kanál. Waltari, Merle, Graves és Feuchtwanger, a komplett Századok és emberek sorozat, miegymás. Szóval elég határozott elképzelésem van arról, hogy mi kell a jó történelmi regényhez, és biztos vagyok benne, hogy Feuchtwanger is tudja a tutit, csak épp most önmagához képest nem sikerült tökéletesen alkalmaznia. Úgy érzem, döcög a szöveg, és az a gyanúm, azért döcög, mert a főszereplőt, Goyát nem sikerült megfelelően integrálni a sztoriba. Valahogy csak úgy belepottyan az eseményekbe, ő sem tudja, mit kezdjen magával, én sem mindig tudom, mit kezdjek vele, és azt hiszem, néha az író sem tudja, mit kezdjen vele. Persze világos, hogy a koncepció szerint ő a „művész”, aki csak alkotni akar, különben meg a politika hagyja békén, de mégis: a magam részéről nagyon kellett koncentráljak, hogy átérezzem a fájdalmait. Talán jót tett volna a könyvnek, ha Feuchtwanger azt az ósdi trükköt alkalmazza, amit a történelmi regényírók gyakorta elővesznek, jelesül főhősét gyerekként vagy ifjúként indítja el, a felemelkedés közösen megélt katarzisa pedig érzelmi kötést hoz létre az olvasó és a fiktív karakter között. (Hogy ez az érzelmi kötődés kölcsönös-e, nos, erről érdemes lenne megkérdezni egy fiktív karaktert.)
Azért egyáltalán nem rossz könyv ez, az inkvizíció ábrázolása például külön stílusremeklés: olyan visszafogottan vészjósló, hogy csak úgy borsódzik az ember háta*. A XVIII. századi spanyol miliő, a világbirodalmi státusz elrongyolódása, a korrupció, a cselszövések, az ultramontánok és liberálisok harca is szemet gyönyörködtető profizmussal van papírra kenve – jellemző módon Feuchtwanger még arra is ügyel, hogy a haladó értelmiséget ne túl pozitívan mutassa be, ezzel is kiemelve, hogy Goya nem politikai értelemben tartozik közéjük, pusztán ellenségeik azonosak. Úgyhogy ha valami ismeretlen bokorugró írta volna ezt a könyvet, szemrebbenés nélkül 4,5 csillagot ajánlanék, de mivel Feuchtwanger írta, akiről tudom, hogy tud jobbat is (Lásd: Rókák a szőlőben-t, vagy A zsidó háború-t), ezért szigorúan 4-esre értékelem. És még nem is járt rosszul – ha ugyanezt a szöveget mondjuk Faulkner neve alatt adták volna ki, lehet, 3,5 csillagot adnék rá. Ennyit a csillagozásról, mint objektív értékelő formáról.
* Vonzó gondolat, hogy a könyvet kulcsregényként kezeljük, Goya és az inkvizíció kapcsolatát pedig megfeleltessük a Kaliforniában élő, enyhén baloldali Feuchtwanger és a kommunistavadász McCarthy-bizottságok konfliktusának.
Azért egyáltalán nem rossz könyv ez, az inkvizíció ábrázolása például külön stílusremeklés: olyan visszafogottan vészjósló, hogy csak úgy borsódzik az ember háta*. A XVIII. századi spanyol miliő, a világbirodalmi státusz elrongyolódása, a korrupció, a cselszövések, az ultramontánok és liberálisok harca is szemet gyönyörködtető profizmussal van papírra kenve – jellemző módon Feuchtwanger még arra is ügyel, hogy a haladó értelmiséget ne túl pozitívan mutassa be, ezzel is kiemelve, hogy Goya nem politikai értelemben tartozik közéjük, pusztán ellenségeik azonosak. Úgyhogy ha valami ismeretlen bokorugró írta volna ezt a könyvet, szemrebbenés nélkül 4,5 csillagot ajánlanék, de mivel Feuchtwanger írta, akiről tudom, hogy tud jobbat is (Lásd: Rókák a szőlőben-t, vagy A zsidó háború-t), ezért szigorúan 4-esre értékelem. És még nem is járt rosszul – ha ugyanezt a szöveget mondjuk Faulkner neve alatt adták volna ki, lehet, 3,5 csillagot adnék rá. Ennyit a csillagozásról, mint objektív értékelő formáról.
* Vonzó gondolat, hogy a könyvet kulcsregényként kezeljük, Goya és az inkvizíció kapcsolatát pedig megfeleltessük a Kaliforniában élő, enyhén baloldali Feuchtwanger és a kommunistavadász McCarthy-bizottságok konfliktusának.
May 20, 2023
Entertaining as Feuchtwanger's books are but the weakest of the ones I've read. His books usually succeed as a combination of historical fiction, biographical motives and societal/political treatises. Here, each of these elements fell short of spiking my interest.
Goya as the focus point is a painter I'm aware of but not a favourite or somebody I could associate anything special with. This can be an advantage but the way Feuchtwanger paints him, he remains rather one-dimensional. At no point he can convince us why Goya is so special and why the most beautiful and powerful ladies of the time fell for him. He is stylized as an egotistical hot-tempered brute with little beside an extraordinary talent to compensate for that. The plot uses motives from his life but twists history to its own advantage.
Spain around 1800 isn't anything I ever took notice of. It's the last days of the inquisition. It's probably one of the most formal civilizations of all time, looking more backward than anywhere else. Not a time to raise much sympathy. Still, the strongest element of the three as Feuchtwanger gave insights into a strangely fascinating historical period caught between decay and lust for life, getting under the more liberal influence of neighbouring France and its revolution.
Finally, the deeper meaning. Contrary to what I expected, this is not another allegory on the Third Reich and the oppression of opinion and art there. Instead, it turned out to be about the opposition Feuchtwanger faced in his exile in the United States during the McCarthy era, even though the conception of Goya started long before this.
While this is his most popular title today according to Goodreads as well as the quantity of books showing up on Ebay, I'd rather recommend his Josephus trilogy which is my favourite or his books about Jew Süß or Rousseau unless you are specifically interested in Goya or Spain of this time.
Goya as the focus point is a painter I'm aware of but not a favourite or somebody I could associate anything special with. This can be an advantage but the way Feuchtwanger paints him, he remains rather one-dimensional. At no point he can convince us why Goya is so special and why the most beautiful and powerful ladies of the time fell for him. He is stylized as an egotistical hot-tempered brute with little beside an extraordinary talent to compensate for that. The plot uses motives from his life but twists history to its own advantage.
Spain around 1800 isn't anything I ever took notice of. It's the last days of the inquisition. It's probably one of the most formal civilizations of all time, looking more backward than anywhere else. Not a time to raise much sympathy. Still, the strongest element of the three as Feuchtwanger gave insights into a strangely fascinating historical period caught between decay and lust for life, getting under the more liberal influence of neighbouring France and its revolution.
Finally, the deeper meaning. Contrary to what I expected, this is not another allegory on the Third Reich and the oppression of opinion and art there. Instead, it turned out to be about the opposition Feuchtwanger faced in his exile in the United States during the McCarthy era, even though the conception of Goya started long before this.
While this is his most popular title today according to Goodreads as well as the quantity of books showing up on Ebay, I'd rather recommend his Josephus trilogy which is my favourite or his books about Jew Süß or Rousseau unless you are specifically interested in Goya or Spain of this time.
August 22, 2015
The first entrance to the world of Goya is as magnificent as a historically ficticious a book can be. The huge amount of work and research held by Lion Feuchtwanger is exquisite. As a huge fan of Goya's art works I read several sources about his life but none can be compared with this masterpiece. Nothing seems forced, everything comes natural, all the explanations given are pretty logical. Of course the author about one man's biography with so many mysteries inside shoud gamble and choose his variant of truth in regards to the unsolved mysteries like, who was depicted in Maja Vestida and Maja Desnuda? There are still debates surrounding the woman on the portraits, if it was Pepa Tudo or The Dutchess of Alba. The majority tends to believe that it was Manuel Godoy's lover Pepa as this masterpiece was in his private collection and it is not the body of a 35 sth woman. Mr Feuchtwanger believes it was Alba but not accurately potrayed, kind of his own perception of love of Goya's life. Also the unknown details of Alba's death whether it was poisoning or as in the context of the novel, a consequence of an abortion. Both seem to be untrue as it was later confirmed that the Dutchess was suffering from a TB disease.
Anyway if you do want to go deeper into Goya's personality or as in my case to find true heart of the artist you should definitely check it out!
Anyway if you do want to go deeper into Goya's personality or as in my case to find true heart of the artist you should definitely check it out!
September 16, 2013
As someone who has always found the artist Francisco Goya, and the turbulent times this Spanish maestro lived through, completely fascinating; this was always going to be a pleasurable reading experience. The author's prose and consummate skill as a writer made the period of Goya's life he focused on, namely the period which encompassed his (alleged) passionate affair with the Duchess of Alba, a vibrant life-affirming, page-turning read. He chose to speculate on some uncertain events in the artist's life in a different way to another author, Stephen Marlowe, had done in his novel 'Colossus' and I found his alternative take intriguing and equally plausible. I have rated both books with five stars, as they are splendid indeed. Do I have a favourite? It will always be Colossus, for it's narrative drive and more complete look at the artist's life and times - I also think it is more likely to inspire any reader's interest in the fabulous art created by Goya, so that they seek out the images to view them for themselves.
Having said that, I'm also glad to have read my first book by Lion Feuchtwanger - it will definitely not be my last!
Having said that, I'm also glad to have read my first book by Lion Feuchtwanger - it will definitely not be my last!
October 9, 2011
Knjigu najbolje opisuje baš jedan njen deo:
"Svi su poznavali tu povest, ali ona je bila nepoznata i nova ovakva kakvu ju je (on) dao. On se nije bojao da događaje koji nisu bili poznati , koji su se mogli možda samo naslućivati prikaže kao činjenice. Ali za čudo: on ih je ispričao tako kao da su se činili stvarni, da se drukčije nisu mogli ni zamisliti."
Nikada više Gojine (a verovatno i bilo koje druge) slike neću gledati na isti način. Dobile su neslućene dubine, a Goja i svi likovi tako jasne obrise, ljudske, promenljive i uverjive. Teško je poverovati da je pisac ove aristokratske i seljačke španske povesti - Nemac.
(Uz čitanje preporučujem obavezno -googlovanje- svih pomenutih slika, crteža, mesta i ljudi. Ovim uporednim čitanjem i istraživanjem ispostavilo se da je veliki deo informacija, činjenica i odnosa zapravo tačan, a knjiga dobija još jednu, vizuelnu, dimenziju.)
"Svi su poznavali tu povest, ali ona je bila nepoznata i nova ovakva kakvu ju je (on) dao. On se nije bojao da događaje koji nisu bili poznati , koji su se mogli možda samo naslućivati prikaže kao činjenice. Ali za čudo: on ih je ispričao tako kao da su se činili stvarni, da se drukčije nisu mogli ni zamisliti."
Nikada više Gojine (a verovatno i bilo koje druge) slike neću gledati na isti način. Dobile su neslućene dubine, a Goja i svi likovi tako jasne obrise, ljudske, promenljive i uverjive. Teško je poverovati da je pisac ove aristokratske i seljačke španske povesti - Nemac.
(Uz čitanje preporučujem obavezno -googlovanje- svih pomenutih slika, crteža, mesta i ljudi. Ovim uporednim čitanjem i istraživanjem ispostavilo se da je veliki deo informacija, činjenica i odnosa zapravo tačan, a knjiga dobija još jednu, vizuelnu, dimenziju.)
February 16, 2024
Der Schlaf der Vernunft gebiert Monstren - Lion Feuchtwangers 'Goya oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis'
Seit Jahren schon stand der etwas angestaubte Band in meinem Bücherregal (eine Ausgabe des Europäischen Buchclubs aus den 50er Jahren ...). Ziemlich dick - zugegebenermaßen...und nie brachte ich die rechte Muse auf, mich daran zu wagen. Als im vergangenen Jahr Milos Formans 'Goyas Geister' in den Kinos lief (und der Film in der 'Kulturstadt Weimar' anscheinend mal wieder überhaupt nicht auf dem Programm stand) nahm ich mir vor, die Lektüre nicht mehr weiter vor mir herzuschieben....und wurde mit einem äußerst kurzweiligen, interessanten und lehrreichen historischen Roman belohnt...
(...der neben dem Thema 'Goya' und den Umständen der Zeit nur wenig mit dem o.a. Film zu tun hat).
Francisco José De La Goya y Lucientes gilt als Wegbereiter der Moderne in der Malerei. Und Goyas Malerei bildet einen zentralen Bestandteil, um den sich dieser historische Roman herum entwickelt. Der Roman umfasst einen Zeitraum beginnend in den 90er Jahren des 18. Jahrhunderts bis hinein in das erste Jahrzehnt des 19. Jahrhunderts. Die französische Revolution und mit ihr der Geist der Aufklärung und Erneuerung treffen auf das rückschrittliche in seinen mittelalterlichen Traditionen verwurzelte Spanien. Aberglaube und Inquisition prägen noch immer das tägliche Leben.
Diese widersprüchliche Situation wird auch im Innenleben des Malers Goya offenbar. Seine innere Zerissenheit läßt ihn schwanken zwischen Verzweiflung und neuem Lebensmut, aus ihr bezieht er auch die Kraft für seine Malerei. Und er ist dabei eben diese auf den Kopf zu stellen mit seiner Wiederentdeckung der Farben und des Lichts. Aber es ist nicht die Malerei alleine, von der das Buch erzählt. Goyas zerstörerische wie leidenschaftliche Liebe zur Herzogin von Alba, ebenfalls von Höhen und Tiefen geprägt, seine Stellung als "Erster Hofmaler" Karls IV, die ihm (zunächst widerwillig) Einflussnahme auf Politik und Weltgeschehen gestattet und ihn in (nicht immer ungefährliche) Intrigen verwickelt, das Verhältnis zu seinen Freunden und der sich langsam einschleichende Wahnsinn in Gestalt von Visionen und Monstren.
Er ist ein sehr eigensinniger und komplizierter Mensch, dieser Goya, den Feuchtwanger in zahlreichen Details und Schattierungen schildert. Aber nicht nur er selbst, auch die anderen Hauptfiguren des Romans spiegeln diese 'Zerissenheit' wider. Die Herzogin von Alba - gleichzeitig eine strahlende Schönheit und bösartige Hexe, eine Grandessa des spanischen Hochadels und gleichzeitig die lebenslustige und erotische Maja. Die spanische Königin Maria Luise von Bourbon-Parma, die Gegenspielerin der Alba - hochintelligent aber mit den Gaben der Schönheit nur allzu spärlich ausgestattet - lenkt die eigentlichen Geschicke Spaniens und beherrscht damit auch ihren (als etwas vertrottelt beschriebenen) Gatten Karl IV. Manuel de Godoy, Goyas herzöglicher Freund und Gönner ist der Geliebte der Königin, mehr auf den eigenen Vorteil bedacht als auf den Vorteil Spaniens und seines Volkes...
Aber über allem stehen Goyas innere Konflikte und die Entwicklung seiner Malerei. Seine Auftragsportraits entsprechen nicht der zeitgenössischen Manier und haben vielfach eine verstörende Wirkung. Dennoch gewährt ihm seine Kunst Zutritt in die Kreise des spanischen Hochadels. Zunächst hat Goya kein Interesse an der Politik. Aber auf Drängen seines Assistenten Augustin willigt er ein, seinen Einfluss als Hofmaler auch für politische Ziele einzusetzen. Es ist seine Malerei, mit deren Hilfe er die die Missstände im Spanien der Inquisition quasi mit einem 'idioma universal' - einer Sprache, die von jedermann verstanden wird - anprangert.
Als die Beziehung zur Herzogin von Alba im Streit auseinanderbricht, verliert Goya sein Gehör. Isoliert von seiner Umwelt, eingeschlossen in seiner inneren Welt und ihren Monstren, findet er zu neuer Kunst abseits der herrschenden Tradition und verleiht dieser Ausdruck. Den Höhepunkt seines neuen Schaffens bilden die Caprichos - zahlreiche Radierungen, die als Karikatur verkleidet die Anmassungen und den Hochmut des spanischen Adels und die Auswirkungen der Schreckensherrschaft der spanischen Inquisition anprangern. Natürlich gelangen die Caprichos in die Hände der Inquisition, die schon lange darauf bedacht ist, Goya ihrer Rechtsprechung zu unterwerfen....
Goya zählt als eines der Spätwerke Lion Feuchtwangers, das im amerikanischen Exil 1951 entstand. Eigentlich war noch ein weiterer Teil des Romans geplant, der jedoch nie erschien.
Persönlich hat mich der Roman sehr bewegt, da es Feuchtwanger meisterhaft versteht, die Entwicklung von Goyas inneren Konflikten, seinem Genie und Wahnsinn, derart plastisch zu schildern. Man wird zurückversetzt in das Spanien der Zeit der französischen Revolution und Napoleons. Hautnah erlebt man die verzweifelten Bemühungen eines Häufleins Wagemutiger, die sich dem Kampf der Aufklärung gegen die dunklen Schrecken der Inquisition verschrieben haben - und erlebt auch ihr Scheitern. Man wird Zeuge des Entstehens vieler Bilder und Radierungen Goyas und erlangt damit ein tieferes Verständnis und eine (zumindest für mich) neue Sichtweise seines Werkes. Zudem ist das Buch in einer herrlichen Sprache geschrieben.
Fazit: Ein großartiger (und anspruchsvoller) historischer Roman. Alles in allem kann ich das Buch allen nur wärmstens ans Herz legen!
Seit Jahren schon stand der etwas angestaubte Band in meinem Bücherregal (eine Ausgabe des Europäischen Buchclubs aus den 50er Jahren ...). Ziemlich dick - zugegebenermaßen...und nie brachte ich die rechte Muse auf, mich daran zu wagen. Als im vergangenen Jahr Milos Formans 'Goyas Geister' in den Kinos lief (und der Film in der 'Kulturstadt Weimar' anscheinend mal wieder überhaupt nicht auf dem Programm stand) nahm ich mir vor, die Lektüre nicht mehr weiter vor mir herzuschieben....und wurde mit einem äußerst kurzweiligen, interessanten und lehrreichen historischen Roman belohnt...
(...der neben dem Thema 'Goya' und den Umständen der Zeit nur wenig mit dem o.a. Film zu tun hat).
Francisco José De La Goya y Lucientes gilt als Wegbereiter der Moderne in der Malerei. Und Goyas Malerei bildet einen zentralen Bestandteil, um den sich dieser historische Roman herum entwickelt. Der Roman umfasst einen Zeitraum beginnend in den 90er Jahren des 18. Jahrhunderts bis hinein in das erste Jahrzehnt des 19. Jahrhunderts. Die französische Revolution und mit ihr der Geist der Aufklärung und Erneuerung treffen auf das rückschrittliche in seinen mittelalterlichen Traditionen verwurzelte Spanien. Aberglaube und Inquisition prägen noch immer das tägliche Leben.
Diese widersprüchliche Situation wird auch im Innenleben des Malers Goya offenbar. Seine innere Zerissenheit läßt ihn schwanken zwischen Verzweiflung und neuem Lebensmut, aus ihr bezieht er auch die Kraft für seine Malerei. Und er ist dabei eben diese auf den Kopf zu stellen mit seiner Wiederentdeckung der Farben und des Lichts. Aber es ist nicht die Malerei alleine, von der das Buch erzählt. Goyas zerstörerische wie leidenschaftliche Liebe zur Herzogin von Alba, ebenfalls von Höhen und Tiefen geprägt, seine Stellung als "Erster Hofmaler" Karls IV, die ihm (zunächst widerwillig) Einflussnahme auf Politik und Weltgeschehen gestattet und ihn in (nicht immer ungefährliche) Intrigen verwickelt, das Verhältnis zu seinen Freunden und der sich langsam einschleichende Wahnsinn in Gestalt von Visionen und Monstren.
Er ist ein sehr eigensinniger und komplizierter Mensch, dieser Goya, den Feuchtwanger in zahlreichen Details und Schattierungen schildert. Aber nicht nur er selbst, auch die anderen Hauptfiguren des Romans spiegeln diese 'Zerissenheit' wider. Die Herzogin von Alba - gleichzeitig eine strahlende Schönheit und bösartige Hexe, eine Grandessa des spanischen Hochadels und gleichzeitig die lebenslustige und erotische Maja. Die spanische Königin Maria Luise von Bourbon-Parma, die Gegenspielerin der Alba - hochintelligent aber mit den Gaben der Schönheit nur allzu spärlich ausgestattet - lenkt die eigentlichen Geschicke Spaniens und beherrscht damit auch ihren (als etwas vertrottelt beschriebenen) Gatten Karl IV. Manuel de Godoy, Goyas herzöglicher Freund und Gönner ist der Geliebte der Königin, mehr auf den eigenen Vorteil bedacht als auf den Vorteil Spaniens und seines Volkes...
Aber über allem stehen Goyas innere Konflikte und die Entwicklung seiner Malerei. Seine Auftragsportraits entsprechen nicht der zeitgenössischen Manier und haben vielfach eine verstörende Wirkung. Dennoch gewährt ihm seine Kunst Zutritt in die Kreise des spanischen Hochadels. Zunächst hat Goya kein Interesse an der Politik. Aber auf Drängen seines Assistenten Augustin willigt er ein, seinen Einfluss als Hofmaler auch für politische Ziele einzusetzen. Es ist seine Malerei, mit deren Hilfe er die die Missstände im Spanien der Inquisition quasi mit einem 'idioma universal' - einer Sprache, die von jedermann verstanden wird - anprangert.
Als die Beziehung zur Herzogin von Alba im Streit auseinanderbricht, verliert Goya sein Gehör. Isoliert von seiner Umwelt, eingeschlossen in seiner inneren Welt und ihren Monstren, findet er zu neuer Kunst abseits der herrschenden Tradition und verleiht dieser Ausdruck. Den Höhepunkt seines neuen Schaffens bilden die Caprichos - zahlreiche Radierungen, die als Karikatur verkleidet die Anmassungen und den Hochmut des spanischen Adels und die Auswirkungen der Schreckensherrschaft der spanischen Inquisition anprangern. Natürlich gelangen die Caprichos in die Hände der Inquisition, die schon lange darauf bedacht ist, Goya ihrer Rechtsprechung zu unterwerfen....
Goya zählt als eines der Spätwerke Lion Feuchtwangers, das im amerikanischen Exil 1951 entstand. Eigentlich war noch ein weiterer Teil des Romans geplant, der jedoch nie erschien.
Persönlich hat mich der Roman sehr bewegt, da es Feuchtwanger meisterhaft versteht, die Entwicklung von Goyas inneren Konflikten, seinem Genie und Wahnsinn, derart plastisch zu schildern. Man wird zurückversetzt in das Spanien der Zeit der französischen Revolution und Napoleons. Hautnah erlebt man die verzweifelten Bemühungen eines Häufleins Wagemutiger, die sich dem Kampf der Aufklärung gegen die dunklen Schrecken der Inquisition verschrieben haben - und erlebt auch ihr Scheitern. Man wird Zeuge des Entstehens vieler Bilder und Radierungen Goyas und erlangt damit ein tieferes Verständnis und eine (zumindest für mich) neue Sichtweise seines Werkes. Zudem ist das Buch in einer herrlichen Sprache geschrieben.
Fazit: Ein großartiger (und anspruchsvoller) historischer Roman. Alles in allem kann ich das Buch allen nur wärmstens ans Herz legen!
September 7, 2017
It is a well written book where the writer has succeeded to express the development of the main character in a linear time. It presents quite well the stages Goya completes to become the painter of the realism by showing the degradation of monarchy, church and aristocracy.
February 24, 2020
1. Memorable 3
2. Social Relevance 5
3. Informative 5
4. Originality 4
5. Thought Provoking 5
6. Expressiveness 5
7. Entertaining 4
8. Visualization 5
9. Sparks Emotion 4
10. Life changing 4
Total 44/10 = 4.4
2. Social Relevance 5
3. Informative 5
4. Originality 4
5. Thought Provoking 5
6. Expressiveness 5
7. Entertaining 4
8. Visualization 5
9. Sparks Emotion 4
10. Life changing 4
Total 44/10 = 4.4
October 26, 2021
Feuchtwanger’s account of the life and times of Francisco Goya really brings the artist’s world to life, and as he was an important painter to the court, the lives of the Spanish monarchs at the time as well. The role of sex and extramarital affairs directly impacting matters of state is entertaining and eye-opening. King Charles IV rules Spain but the real seat of power is his queen from Parma, Maria Luisa, along with her lover Don Manuel, the so-called “Prince of Peace”, who was politically minded and frequently indecisive, to the detriment of the country.
The world was changing around them: the French monarchy had fallen and Napoleon was on the rise. The power of the Pope in Rome was just beginning to diminish, but the Inquisition was still very much a part of life in Spain, and the Grand Inquisitor was greatly feared. Possession of banned books or any discussion overheard questioning the authority of the Church could lead to banishment, impoverishment, or being burned, as well as the branding of one’s family for five generations. This happened to hundreds of thousands of people in Spain, and Feuchtwanger somehow puts the figure quite precisely at 348,907.
All of this is the backdrop for the life of Goya, who was devout and respectful of the monarchy, and yet who pioneered new forms of painting and saw the corruption in Church and State around him. Goya had risen up in the world over his life and was a man of passion; his tempestuous, love/hate relationship with the Duchess of Alba sizzles throughout the book. His Naked Maja’s identity is not known with certainty, but Feuchtwanger assigns it to the Duchess of Alba, which is titillating though debatable.
As an artist, Goya was a step between the traditional court painter Velasquez, who he revered, and painters who would follow, both in the color palette he used and in the themes he represented. In the Naked Maja, Goya was doing ‘his version’ of Velasquez’s ‘Dona Desnuda’ (also known as the Rokeby Venus, one of my favorite paintings in London’s National Gallery), and taking a huge chance with the Inquisition. Both paintings had to be hidden, and Feuchtwanger has them cleverly concealed behind other works but revealed at the flip of a switch in the wall. It’s hard to know how accurate that aspect is.
Goya was haunted by demons, seeing visions and bordering on madness at times, a condition which worsened when he became completely deaf at age 46. The cause for his deafness is unknown; a doctor in Feuchtwanger’s account speculates that it stems from venereal disease, but there is some belief today that it may have been caused from poisoning from the lead in the pigments he used. Goya drew and later painted frightening, fantastical images of demons and the darkness he imagined. I’ve always considered these to be a function of depression and a darkening world view in his old age, but Feuchtwanger shows them as daring symbolic works, satirizing the church, those in power, and people around him, such as the Duchess of Alba. Regardless, he was again taking a real risk against the Inquisition, and at the height of his powers, when he could have played it safe.
The paintings and the reaction they produced bring to mind the Cesar A. Cruz quote which I recently had the pleasure of hearing: “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.”
One of my knocks against the book was that it chronologically doesn’t seem too precise if you look up events and paintings as you read along. Feuchtwanger also leaves out a description of Goya’s classic painting “The Third of May 1808” and how it came to be painted, which is inexplicable to me. Lastly, he gets somewhat choppy in his prose at times, as if the notes to himself were never cleaned up in the editing process.
However with all that said, it’s a great read of you’re a Goya fan, as I am. It really puts his work in a new light for me. As a final comment, I would say it would have been nice had this been an illustrated book, but looking up his paintings online was a good way of enhancing the text:
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/franc...
Quotes:
On Catholicism at the time, you be the judge for how it compares to today:
“The Inquisition had implanted in Spaniards the conviction that more important than a moral way of life was an unshakeable belief in dogma. Foreigners who travelled in Spain reported almost unanimously that precisely in the land of the Inquisition religion had little to do with morality and the passionate zeal for dogma was often coupled with immoral conduct. The Holy Tribunal often dealt leniently with offences which were viewed with revulsion by the whole world; such as, for example, the seduction of children in the confessional. But small technical transgressions against dogma were in all cases harshly treated. In Cordoba, for example, one hundred and seven men, women, and children were condemned to the stake at a single hearing because they had listened to the sermon of a certain Membreque who had been pronounced a heretic.”
On love that one cannot escape from, Goya on the Duchess of Alba:
“’Woe is me that I ever fell into your hands! But now I have seen through and through you and I am seeing you for the last time. I shall never see you again, never come to you again. I will not, I have made a vow and I will keep it.’ And even as he thought thus he knew that he would be fettered to her forever. And together with his hatred and despair he felt a fierce and vulgar exultation that he knew her in a guise other than the one in which she now sat before him. He called up and image of her small naked body quivering in his embrace. He pictured to himself how he would crush this proud unapproachable creature again in his arms, how he would bite the arrogant lips till they melted beneath his, till the hatefully mocking eyes swam and closed. He would not stroke her, nor would she get any flattering words of admiration out of him; he would take her like the meanest whore.”
On lust, this from Don Manuel about his mistress Pepa (who had also been Goya’s mistress):
“But her skin was so dazzlingly white against the black negligee, her green eyes looked huge, solemn, seductive; he inhaled her odour. He was fresh from nights spent with women of Cadiz, fascinating women practiced in all the vices, but he knew that he could not get on without this women who alone could afford him the height of voluptuous enjoyment, true ravishment, Heaven and Hell together, overwhelming.”
On Spanish women, and the maja in particular:
“Spanish men eulogized the maja as having those qualities they most prized in women: she was said to be proud and inaccessible in public, an angel in Church, a devil in bed. Even foreigners agreed that no other woman in the world could arouse so much desire, afford such satisfaction, as the real maja.”
On transience, and seizing love, this from a dance performance:
“Therefore let us
Plunge into the
Deepest lap of
Love; because we
Live but such a
Short time here on
This our earth and
We are such a
Long time dead.
…
And the girl’s dance is slow, savage, and vehement too, always the same and always different, a stilly raging dance, a dance involving the whole body; obviously the girl is showing herself off to her lover, letting him see all the lust, sweetness, and savagery her body has to offer.”
And lastly, on the Maja paintings:
“He wasn’t going to compete with the dead Velasquez. And this was his ‘Dona Desnuda.’ In this clothed and unclothed nude he painted all the women he had ever lain with in bed and in corners. Painted a body calculated to arouse all the passions. And two faces to go with them; one full of appetite and expectancy, vacant almost with lasciviousness, the expression hard, alluring, and dangerous; the other a little drowsy, slowly awakening from satisfied desire, already thirsty for new fulfillment. What he was trying to paint was neither the Duchess of Alba nor any maja. It was lust itself, lust the insatiable, with its torpid blisses and all its perils.”
The world was changing around them: the French monarchy had fallen and Napoleon was on the rise. The power of the Pope in Rome was just beginning to diminish, but the Inquisition was still very much a part of life in Spain, and the Grand Inquisitor was greatly feared. Possession of banned books or any discussion overheard questioning the authority of the Church could lead to banishment, impoverishment, or being burned, as well as the branding of one’s family for five generations. This happened to hundreds of thousands of people in Spain, and Feuchtwanger somehow puts the figure quite precisely at 348,907.
All of this is the backdrop for the life of Goya, who was devout and respectful of the monarchy, and yet who pioneered new forms of painting and saw the corruption in Church and State around him. Goya had risen up in the world over his life and was a man of passion; his tempestuous, love/hate relationship with the Duchess of Alba sizzles throughout the book. His Naked Maja’s identity is not known with certainty, but Feuchtwanger assigns it to the Duchess of Alba, which is titillating though debatable.
As an artist, Goya was a step between the traditional court painter Velasquez, who he revered, and painters who would follow, both in the color palette he used and in the themes he represented. In the Naked Maja, Goya was doing ‘his version’ of Velasquez’s ‘Dona Desnuda’ (also known as the Rokeby Venus, one of my favorite paintings in London’s National Gallery), and taking a huge chance with the Inquisition. Both paintings had to be hidden, and Feuchtwanger has them cleverly concealed behind other works but revealed at the flip of a switch in the wall. It’s hard to know how accurate that aspect is.
Goya was haunted by demons, seeing visions and bordering on madness at times, a condition which worsened when he became completely deaf at age 46. The cause for his deafness is unknown; a doctor in Feuchtwanger’s account speculates that it stems from venereal disease, but there is some belief today that it may have been caused from poisoning from the lead in the pigments he used. Goya drew and later painted frightening, fantastical images of demons and the darkness he imagined. I’ve always considered these to be a function of depression and a darkening world view in his old age, but Feuchtwanger shows them as daring symbolic works, satirizing the church, those in power, and people around him, such as the Duchess of Alba. Regardless, he was again taking a real risk against the Inquisition, and at the height of his powers, when he could have played it safe.
The paintings and the reaction they produced bring to mind the Cesar A. Cruz quote which I recently had the pleasure of hearing: “Art should comfort the disturbed, and disturb the comfortable.”
One of my knocks against the book was that it chronologically doesn’t seem too precise if you look up events and paintings as you read along. Feuchtwanger also leaves out a description of Goya’s classic painting “The Third of May 1808” and how it came to be painted, which is inexplicable to me. Lastly, he gets somewhat choppy in his prose at times, as if the notes to himself were never cleaned up in the editing process.
However with all that said, it’s a great read of you’re a Goya fan, as I am. It really puts his work in a new light for me. As a final comment, I would say it would have been nice had this been an illustrated book, but looking up his paintings online was a good way of enhancing the text:
http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/franc...
Quotes:
On Catholicism at the time, you be the judge for how it compares to today:
“The Inquisition had implanted in Spaniards the conviction that more important than a moral way of life was an unshakeable belief in dogma. Foreigners who travelled in Spain reported almost unanimously that precisely in the land of the Inquisition religion had little to do with morality and the passionate zeal for dogma was often coupled with immoral conduct. The Holy Tribunal often dealt leniently with offences which were viewed with revulsion by the whole world; such as, for example, the seduction of children in the confessional. But small technical transgressions against dogma were in all cases harshly treated. In Cordoba, for example, one hundred and seven men, women, and children were condemned to the stake at a single hearing because they had listened to the sermon of a certain Membreque who had been pronounced a heretic.”
On love that one cannot escape from, Goya on the Duchess of Alba:
“’Woe is me that I ever fell into your hands! But now I have seen through and through you and I am seeing you for the last time. I shall never see you again, never come to you again. I will not, I have made a vow and I will keep it.’ And even as he thought thus he knew that he would be fettered to her forever. And together with his hatred and despair he felt a fierce and vulgar exultation that he knew her in a guise other than the one in which she now sat before him. He called up and image of her small naked body quivering in his embrace. He pictured to himself how he would crush this proud unapproachable creature again in his arms, how he would bite the arrogant lips till they melted beneath his, till the hatefully mocking eyes swam and closed. He would not stroke her, nor would she get any flattering words of admiration out of him; he would take her like the meanest whore.”
On lust, this from Don Manuel about his mistress Pepa (who had also been Goya’s mistress):
“But her skin was so dazzlingly white against the black negligee, her green eyes looked huge, solemn, seductive; he inhaled her odour. He was fresh from nights spent with women of Cadiz, fascinating women practiced in all the vices, but he knew that he could not get on without this women who alone could afford him the height of voluptuous enjoyment, true ravishment, Heaven and Hell together, overwhelming.”
On Spanish women, and the maja in particular:
“Spanish men eulogized the maja as having those qualities they most prized in women: she was said to be proud and inaccessible in public, an angel in Church, a devil in bed. Even foreigners agreed that no other woman in the world could arouse so much desire, afford such satisfaction, as the real maja.”
On transience, and seizing love, this from a dance performance:
“Therefore let us
Plunge into the
Deepest lap of
Love; because we
Live but such a
Short time here on
This our earth and
We are such a
Long time dead.
…
And the girl’s dance is slow, savage, and vehement too, always the same and always different, a stilly raging dance, a dance involving the whole body; obviously the girl is showing herself off to her lover, letting him see all the lust, sweetness, and savagery her body has to offer.”
And lastly, on the Maja paintings:
“He wasn’t going to compete with the dead Velasquez. And this was his ‘Dona Desnuda.’ In this clothed and unclothed nude he painted all the women he had ever lain with in bed and in corners. Painted a body calculated to arouse all the passions. And two faces to go with them; one full of appetite and expectancy, vacant almost with lasciviousness, the expression hard, alluring, and dangerous; the other a little drowsy, slowly awakening from satisfied desire, already thirsty for new fulfillment. What he was trying to paint was neither the Duchess of Alba nor any maja. It was lust itself, lust the insatiable, with its torpid blisses and all its perils.”
July 10, 2022
Arcydzieło!
Z racji faktu, iż jestem dość wybrednym czytelnikiem - chcę wiedzieć jak najwięcej o bohaterach - Lion Feuchtwanger mnie zachwycił. Kojarzy mi się trochę z utworami Balzaca, jeśli chodzi o wyczerpanie tematu, momentami również jeśli chodzi o dosadność.
Portret samego Goyi (nie wiem czy dobrze napisałam po polsku) jest również fenomenalny - po jego nierzadkich odzywkach w typie starych powiedzeń chłopskich (czy raczej powinnam powiedzieć powiedzeń "majów") można wywnioskować, iż nie jest on czystej krwi szlacheckiej. Ma duszę artysty, to bez wątpienia, zdawało mi się również czasem, jakby umyślnie dążył do pokazania siebie jako człowieka z wyższych sfer, aby poprzeć przykładem odwołam się do przebierania się dla Alby podczas, co jest kuriozalne - malowania jej portretu...
Mimo tego moją ulubioną postacią był przyjaciel Francisca, który nigdy, zależnie oczywiście od potrzeby, nie szczędził mu ani pochwał ani obelg. Oprócz pewności siebie, widać tu też zawziętość i wytrwałość w dążeniu do słusznej sprawy.
Podsumowując, jest ciężka, długa i może czasem dla niektórych być nudna. Jednak ręczę za jej wartość, jest to jak zaznaczyłam na początku, arcydzieło.
Z racji faktu, iż jestem dość wybrednym czytelnikiem - chcę wiedzieć jak najwięcej o bohaterach - Lion Feuchtwanger mnie zachwycił. Kojarzy mi się trochę z utworami Balzaca, jeśli chodzi o wyczerpanie tematu, momentami również jeśli chodzi o dosadność.
Portret samego Goyi (nie wiem czy dobrze napisałam po polsku) jest również fenomenalny - po jego nierzadkich odzywkach w typie starych powiedzeń chłopskich (czy raczej powinnam powiedzieć powiedzeń "majów") można wywnioskować, iż nie jest on czystej krwi szlacheckiej. Ma duszę artysty, to bez wątpienia, zdawało mi się również czasem, jakby umyślnie dążył do pokazania siebie jako człowieka z wyższych sfer, aby poprzeć przykładem odwołam się do przebierania się dla Alby podczas, co jest kuriozalne - malowania jej portretu...
Mimo tego moją ulubioną postacią był przyjaciel Francisca, który nigdy, zależnie oczywiście od potrzeby, nie szczędził mu ani pochwał ani obelg. Oprócz pewności siebie, widać tu też zawziętość i wytrwałość w dążeniu do słusznej sprawy.
Podsumowując, jest ciężka, długa i może czasem dla niektórych być nudna. Jednak ręczę za jej wartość, jest to jak zaznaczyłam na początku, arcydzieło.
November 16, 2023
Reading this magnificent book in the Heritage Press edition is a splendid experience. All the illustrations are Goya's own works, which amplify the readings of the paintings done by the author and are especially helpful to explain the ultimate impact of the Caprichos. This book is a comprehensive description of the political and social climate of Spain in Goya's time and a very personal story about how politics, religion and society buffeted the great painter. It reminded me of War and Peace in its grand historic scope and the deep insight of the personal. I have not read Feuchtwanger before. He writes with an urbane humor that recalls Stendhal. Writing this book was a great accomplishment. Reading it takes dedication because of the multiple personages (with similar names) and the intricate explanations of court intrigue. Enriching and awesome experience.
June 13, 2020
Začínám číst a pomalu se dostávám do proudu klidného a rozmáchlého vyprávění. Najednou už nevnímám že čtu, ale vidím to všechno před sebou. Goyu, jeho osudové ženy, krále, královny, i poslední mezkaře. Vidím Španělsko, kde jsem nikdy nebyl, a cítím dobu ve které Goya žil.
Prožil své nebe i peklo tady na zemi, a pan spisovatel Lion Feuchtwanger nám nepopsal strohé historické fakta, ale oživil Goyu tak jak ho viděl on sám.
"Věděl například, že život, ať ho bude proklínat ještě sebečastěji, stojí za námahu. Přese všechno."
Prožil své nebe i peklo tady na zemi, a pan spisovatel Lion Feuchtwanger nám nepopsal strohé historické fakta, ale oživil Goyu tak jak ho viděl on sám.
"Věděl například, že život, ať ho bude proklínat ještě sebečastěji, stojí za námahu. Přese všechno."
October 28, 2022
One of my favorite books. I re-read it about 5th time. Feuchtwanger is one of my favorite authors. Great historical novel, studious and daring. Author placed his hero into the most fascinating (and dangerous) times in old Europe, times of Inquisition. As if this is not enough, Goya is going through moral and ethical dilemmas and is struggling with personal deafness, which he sees as God’s punishment. When reading this book, the reader’s eye follows the elegant painting of brilliantly put together words , descriptions, and thoughts.
September 1, 2025
I picked this book up in the used section of a shop in Rome, just to have something to read on the flight back to Boston. Over the year plus, I dipped in and out of it—and found it beautiful. Learning about Francisco Goya’s life and work, and about Spain at the turn of the 19th century, was a joy. Lion Feuchtwanger’s own life story is at least as fascinating and clearly shapes his perspective on the Inquisition. Highly recommended, if you can track down a copy.
June 7, 2020
This book tells the adventurous life of Goya combined with the history of Spain at the end of 18th century. It is an excellent mixture of art, politics, romance, friendship. I liked the writing style as well. The events were described with such finesse, elegance and are so descriptive that i felt i was present everywhere.
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