Mikaël

by Herman Bang

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: Queer, Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

Herman Bang wrote his very first book back in 1880, it was called "Haabløse Slægter".

Herman Joachim Bang (20. april 1857 – 29. januar 1912) var en dansk kritiker, forfatter og journalist. Han blev født i Asserballe på Als i hertugdømmet Slesvig som søn af sognepræst Frederik Ludvig Bang (1816-1875) og hustru Thora Elisabeth Salomine Blach (1829-1871) og blev student i 1875 fra Sorø Akademi. Herman Bang er kendt for sin impressionistiske skrivestil. Herman Bang døde i Ogden i Utah i USA under en oplæsningsturné og er begravet på Vestre Kirkegård i København.

Reviews

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vermutlich eine der langweiligsten Unilektüren, die ich jemals lesen musste. /:

[Pascale · Rating 1 out of 5]

All the faults of Proust and none of the qualities. This story of a painter of genius with peasant origins who indulges his protégé (and presumably lover) to the death never gets off the ground. At fault is the writer's overblown prose as well as his lack of psychological acumen. The novel puts in parallel 2 "tragic" stories: the painter Claude Zoret, otherwise known as The Master, loses his pretty boy to a blood-sucking Russian princess (in fact a shopkeeper's daughter who bagged a prince), while a Scandinavian painter loses his wife to a French aristocrat, whom he eventually kills in a duel. It's hard not to think of Proust when you have a character called Charles Schwitt as the esthete who discovered Zoret and tries to monitor his hopeless passion for the faithless Mikaël of the title. This book doesn't even have the merit of giving an account of the Scandinavian artists' colonies that were rife in France at the end of the nineteenth century.

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mikael, written by a very prominent Danish writer, is a fascinating forgotten classic. Once a runaway success, it was made into a famous silent movie by the master Carl T.Dreyer. Its reputation remains based on its gay subtext, and the fact is, Mikael is a subtle, arresting gay love story that never quite dares present itself as such – the story of the complicated bonds that link a lionized, older painter, and a young man who, today, I guess, would be described as a bisexual toy boy with an attitude. Both men have powerful egos, and both are artists. Their affair won’t end happily. But Mikael is much more than just a gay story. Set at the end of the XIX century, it mostly centers on Claude, the painter (modeled on Monet, or, according to some, the sculptor Rodin). Claude is the toast of the glittery Parisian elite, which Bang new very well, and the book is a wonderful (and to this day, quite modern and very realist) description of this world, where more or less decadent aristocrats, venal art dealers, and insecure artists mix uneasily and gossip gleefully about each other. It also intelligently explores the timeless struggle with fame, inspiration, and talent that consumes any artist. Parts of Bang’s novel reminded me at the same time of what writers as different as Colette or Maupassant have done, but the author also hints at Oscar Wilde’s Dorian Gray, especially when it comes to his fascination with beauty and aestheticism. Illicit love affairs are torrid, in Mikael, and Bang writes with a raw sensitivity about the pain, loneliness, and sadness that the betrayed one can feel – because there’s always someone who’s betrayed. Even if it’s never said that Claude and the beautiful Mikael have been intimate (probably something impossible to write about at the time), Claude’s inner conflicts, as the novel advances and as he loses control over the young man, are more and more akin to what an obsessive lover may experience. At the end, the cruelty of youth triumphs, and the abandoned old painter faces his own mortality in a crowd of people where the only one he craves for is absent. It’s one of the most quietly devastating and unsentimental ending written at the time. I did read this book in its lively French translation, published by Phébus.

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta es una de las primeras obras que trato de describir la vida de un hombre gay y como tal, consigue su brillo máximo en la traición y la tragedia. Bang teje esta historia casi completamente a través del dialogo y mediante eso logra enfatizar el exterior público que muchas veces cubre un interior privado en pena. Igualmente, usa traiciones paralelas para mostrar como en el amor la traición puede llevar a la muerte. Al fin y al cabo, Bang crea una obra que es muy fácil de seguir y que muestra las luchas silenciosas de las personas que no pueden revelar su amor.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book about love and art.

[Cannelonie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liest sich wirklich sehr schnell, allerdings konnte mich der Plot gar nicht überzeugen.

[Ryinn Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Paolo Rinco · Rating 5 out of 5]

E' assurdo che un così grande scrittore sia praticamente sconosciuto in Italia. Ho trovato questo libro in Francia e l'ho dovuto leggere in Francese perchè da noi non è stato mai tradotto...una vergogna!. Amico di Monet, Klaus Mann e Musil. E' stato definito il più grande scrittore impressionista mai esistito. La sua 'sfortuna' era di essere dichiaratamente omosessuale e per questo motivo i suoi scritti costantemente boicottati. Lui (danese) ha vagato per l'Europa fine secolo IXX inizio XX per potersi liberamente esprimere stabilendosi finalmente a Parigi. Trovo che costui non abbia niente da invidiare a Oscar Wilde. La storia: un amore puro e disinteressato. Un vero capolavoro di intimismo espresso in uno stile eccellente!