Manfred Macmillan

Three Magicians #1

by Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic, Carleton Bulkin (Translator), Brian James Baer (Introduction)

Decadence meets gothic in Manfred Macmillan (1907), a carefully constructed tale of doppelgangers, magical intrigue, and the rootless scion of a noble house. This annotated, first-ever English translation presents an early queer novel long unavailable except in the original Czech. Author Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic (1871–1951) was a major cultural figure in his native Bohemia and cultivated ties with fellow artists from across Central Europe. In their extensive scholarly introduction, translator Carleton Bulkin and translation scholar Brian James Baer situate the novel within longer histories of gay literature, fascinations with the occult, and the cultural and linguistic politics of so-called peripheral European nations. They persuasively frame Karásek as a queer author and cultural disruptor in the fin de siècle Habsburg space.

Karasék rejected Czech translations of ancient Greek writers that bowdlerized gay themes, and he personally and vigorously defended Oscar Wilde in print, both on the grounds of artistic freedom and of private morality. He also published a cycle of homoerotic poems under the title Sodom, confiscated by the Austrian authorities but republished in 1905 and repeatedly afterward. A colonized subject, a literary decadent, and a sexual outlaw, Karasék’s complex responses to his own marginalization can be traced through his fantastically strange novel trilogy Three Magicians. As the first volume in that series, Manfred Macmillan is a gorgeous, compelling, and important addition to expanding canons of LGBTQI+ literature.

Genres: Fantasy, Classics, Queer, Literary Fiction, Czech Literature, LGBT, Fiction

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1907

About the author

Jiří Karásek ze Lvovic was a Czech poet, writer and literary critic. He is a prominent representative of decadence in Czech literature. As a writer and reviewer he also used naturalistic and impressionistic styles.

Reviews

[Mario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully and unexpectedly queer considering the times. Great introduction and insights by the translator.

[sitnorelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strašně blbě se to četlo. Upřímně, kdyby to nebylo teplý tak to ani nedočtu, skoro každou větu jsem musela číst několikrát. Určitě je to dobrá knížka, ale můj mozek na to asi teď neměl úplně kapacitu.

[Mattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically a rip-off of The Picture of Dorian Gray. That being said, it is pretty good! I couldn't put the book down! It is very insightful to see how queer people were talked about and lived at the time. If you cannot stand long winded writing and descriptions, don't read this.

[Troy Zaher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic queer novel from turn of the century central Europe. I normally don’t rate ACP books, but this one was of particular interest to me, and I found it to be too fascinating not to

[grosbeak · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic piece of queer gothic decadent literature. I really hope there are plans to translate the rest of Karásek’s trilogy.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The never-ending infodump about Cagliostro was dragging a little, but otherwise I enjoyed this a lot. The gothic, mystic-dark atmosphere is very captivating and beautifully done. The queerness is surprisingly textual.

The appendix of the English translation is very much appreciated as well, making it clear how much of his own feelings the author has put into the novel.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Zajímavé řekněme z literárně-historického hlediska i třeba atmosférou, ale jinak mne to zatím moc neoslovilo - všichni, kdo tam vystupují mi přijdou jako namyšlená ema. Chápu, že to k té správné dekadenci patří, ale jsem holt spíš na ty romantiky, i když třeba rozervané.

Čili - kniha zajímavá, ale vracet se k ní asi nebudu.

Ale možná to chce jenom čas, v dobé čtení téhle knihy jsem utrpěl srážku s blbcem, který projevoval podobné rysy chování jako Cagliostro a ten dekadentní nihilismus mi notně znechutil. Ono se to dobře čte, ale ve chvíli, kdy začne člověk nahlížet Cagliostra spíš jako hajzlíka než jako charismatickou figuru, to ten zážitek z knihy trochu rozbije.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

To je tak špatné až si to zamilujete.

[Kačka · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bez debat zajimava kniha, ale asi to nebude salek meho caje.