Касторп

by Paweł Huelle, Ксения Старосельская (Translator)

В "Волшебной горе" Томаса Манна есть фраза, побудившая Павла Хюлле написать целый роман под названием "Касторп". Эта фраза - "Позади остались четыре семестра, проведенные им (главным героем романа Т. Манна Гансом Касторпом) в Данцигском политехникуме…" - вынесена в эпиграф. Хюлле живет в Гданьске (до 1918 г. - Данциг). Самый красивый старинный город - полноправный персонаж всех его книг, и не удивительно, что с юности, по признанию писателя, он "сочинял" события, произошедшие у него на родине с героем "Волшебной горы". Роман П. Хюле - словно пропущенная Т. Манном глава: пережитое Гансом Касторпом на Данцигской земле потрясло впечатлительного молодого человека и многое в нем изменило. Автор задал себе трудную задачу: его Касторп обязан был соответствовать манновскому образу, но при этом нельзя было допустить, чтобы повествование померкло в тени книги великого немца. И Павел Хюлле, как считает польская критика, со своей задачей справился.

Genres: Fiction, Poland, Polish Literature, Novels

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Paweł Huelle (b. 10 September 1957 in Gdańsk, Poland) was a Polish prose writer.

Huelle studied philology at Gdańsk University, and later became a journalist. He worked for a time for the press service of Solidarność (Solidarity). He has also taught literature, philosophy, and history. He was director of the Polish Television in his home town from 1994 to 1999.

His literary debut came in 1987 with Weiser Dawidek, made into a film, Weiser, by Wojciech Marczewski in 2000.

Reviews

[Mieczyslaw Kasprzyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been told, by a friend on Facebook (and some of her friends), that Polish writing is not very good because Polish does not express itself well in the written form. English, on the other hand (so they claim), is wonderfully adapted for the written form - so English books are far superior. I can't argue with them because I can't read Polish (sadly I'm the equivalent of an illiterate peasant which befits my roots). Can it be that my appreciation of Polish literature has its roots in the fact that I am reading English translations? Is the coarseness of Polish writing mystically reshaped into a more perfect form through the process of Anglicisation?
I know that translation is always a compromise as the translator has to balance what is actually said in one language with the nuances in the grammar, even the worldview, of another. As a result, a poor translator who has misunderstood a word or phrase can damage a good book (the Curtis translation of Sienkiewicz's "Trilogy" or the infamous "Breeches Bible" spring to mind).
Does all this mean that Joseph Conrad only happened to be a good writer because he wrote in English, and had he had the misfortune to write in Polish he would have never achieved literary fame? AND (if it is true) consider all those grievious crimes against culture that the Poles commit whenever they translate a book written in English into Polish!!
So I must stress that the book I am reviewing is an English translation of Huelle's "Castorp" rather than the one written in the original (and allegedly far inferior) Polish. There are some authors (or in this case, translators) who manage to create a world so contemplative, so dream-like at times, that one drifts off into thoughts (not due to boredom), as if distracted (unknowingly) by that train of ideas, emotions and an empathy, returning suddenly as if woken, to the world of the book. Later, thinking back, one gets a feeling of warmth and comfort and a sense of having shared something quite rare. There are other dream-like qualities throughout; that strange logical illogic, happenstance and surreality. There is a sense of memory of youth, of that moment just before I became an adult. Though modern, the book has more an atmosphere of fin-de-siecle about it (which is quite apt).
Thank God, if what my friend on Facebook says is true, I never read this book in its original Polish.

[Michael Kuehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Castorp is written as a prequel to Thomas Mann's 'The Magic Mountain', taking place years earlier, during Castorp's semesters of study at the Danzig Polytechnic. It is beautifully crafted to echo Mann's style, tone and humor, enriching the person of Hans Castorp, with intimations of the characters and philosophical discussions to come at the Berghof Sanatorium. Is it essential that one have read Mann's 'The Magic Mountain' to enjoy and appreciate 'Castorp' ? Probably not, however for me much of the novel's depth, and perhaps even foreboding, derives from its resonance with the future as depicted in Mann's novel. As one who ranks 'The Magic Mountain' as a favorite novel, I was ecstatic to be once again in Castorp's company and reminiscing about the future.

There are many moments which foreshadow the Berghof, but this one stood out for me for the portents it conjured:

The tram had long since passed the stop near Kastanieweg, but Castorp was in his own separate time, on the slope of a snowy mountain. Through the thick fog one could only guess at the nearby peaks, but that was not the focus of his attention right now. He could hear a strange, dull rumble, as if not far off empty kegs or boxes were being sent across an ice rink. After a while the fog subsided a little, and there in the snow he saw a narrow track, probably for sledges, down which, over and over at regular intervals, came strange, narrow, maybe hospital beds. In fact they were bobsleighs, which Hans Castorp had never seen before, but his first, medical association proved not entirely mistaken, because as soon as he came closer to the track, he noticed that in these vehicles, wrapped to their necks in camelhair blankets, dead people were rushing down the icy path. [121]

[WndyJW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Hans Castorp earnestness, I loved the quirky Frau Hildegarde Wybe, I could picture the squared away and always appropriate Hans suddenly in very awkward situations. The only reason I didn't love the book was that I was looking for something more pointedly about the pre WWI stirrings and I didn't pick up on any until the last 20 or so pages. Still a really wonderful book.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is much better than the average rating on Goodreads (3.5 stars in Jan 18), if you read it the right way.
First of all it is a prequel to The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (1924) - and it deals with one of the most important fictional characters German literature has: Hans Castorp. I read this book straight after reading The Magic Mountain, and I have to say it was a great experience. When you spend a lot of time reading the 1100+ pages of Thomas Mann you will be a bit melancholic when you reach an end. But then Mr. Huelle offers you the possibility to meet your dear, most average hero of all again in his study years in Danzig. Both books draw you back in a time earlier than the World Wars and completely isolate you from todays world. The interesting part is that Castorp has been published in 2004 and nevertheless Huelle masters this task in a great manner.
I think the book is less worth to read if you do not read The Magic Mountain first, but it is clearly a 5-star prequel of Thomas Manns novel.

[makromalwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nadal uwielbiam "Czarodziejską górę"

Nadal nie lubię się z Huelle'm

[Daria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nie polecam. Porownania do Czarodziejskiej Gory owszem na miejscu, ale lepiej siegnac do Manna. Z trudem wymęczyłam do końca. A "Śpiewaj ogrody" takie udane.

[Zuzanna Barańska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zaczynając czytać tę książkę nie spodziewałam się jak bardzo polubię głównego bohatera. Hans Castrop przybywa do Gdańska na studia i od tego zaczyna się cały ciąg zdarzeń, które na zawsze ukształtują tego młodego człowieka. Z każdym dniem jego charakter zmienia się, poszukuje siebie, odkrywa nowe uczucia, którym dość mocno ulega. Zaczyna się nimi kierować, co zaskakuje nie tylko samego Hansa, ale i ludzi wokół niego. Poddaje się różnym impulsom, o których nikt nigdy nie podejrzewałby Castropa. Te chwile tworzą nić, za którą czytelnik mknie, chcąc dowiedzieć się o każdej najmniejszej myśli i zachowaniu Hansa.
Moją szczególną uwagę zwrócił opis studenckiego życia Castropa. Wynika to z tego, że książkę tę czytałam w październiku, czyli na początku roku akademickiego. Niby postać z powieści studiuje inny kierunek, w innych czasach i innym mieście to jednak czułam klimat tego "uni life". Nauka, jesienna pogoda, deszcz w drodze na wykłady. Wszystko to tworzy idealny nastrój, by zaznać choć ułamek życia Hansa Castropa.

[Horatio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein tolles Buch. Huelle extrapoliert aus dem einen Danzig-Satz im Zauberberg ein schönes Prequel. Ohne dabei in die Falle der Fan Fiction zu geraten.

Denn Huelles Castorp ist aus einem anderen Holz geschnitzt als der bei Thomas Mann. Und auch der Erzähler ist ein anderer. Und genau diese andersartige Einkleidung tut dem Buch unheimlich gut. Es wäre ja auch ein feines und angenehmes Buch, ohne den Bezug zum Zauberberg.

Eine interessante Frage wäre allerdings, ob das polnische Literatur ist. Ich würde nämlich sagen, es ist vom Genre her deutsche Literatur, auch wenn der Autor Pole ist und das Buch auf Polnisch geschrieben ist. Doch es behandelt den deutschen Blick auf den Osten und vor allem auf Polen und ist insofern letztlich ein „deutscher“ Kolonialroman.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supposedly written in Mann’s style, as a prequel to The Magic Mountain. I haven’t read The Magic Mountain but Castorp did feel like an early 20th century novel, both thematically and in its focus on the interior/psychological musings of its characters (or “heroes” it might say). Enjoyed it a lot while being aware I was missing quite a bit without understanding references to Mann’s earlier work. The setting of Danzig as a tense melting pot of Poles, Russians and Germans in the 1890s was historically interesting as was the coming-of-age portrait of a young German who seems caught between rationalism (he wants to be an engineer) and German romanticism (his head is often in the clouds and he falls for the novel Effi Briest). Will look up more of Huelle’s work, a very good novel.

[Jeremy Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meandering with its character and the mood of its rainy, often dreary setting, this little novel, in English, is a credit to Antonia Lloyd-Jones, its translator. I can't say that the second half was, for me, as engaging as the first half. Because similar to Castorp himself, I tended to drift and dream at various times while reading, even if I was never truly lost in the narrative. As it turns out, Huelle and, by extension, Lloyd-Jones, created an oddly relatable and almost tangible coming-of-age story that feels every bit in its time and place, just as it feels equally timeless and global.

[Björn Klemm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eigentlich ist es eine sehr schöne Idee Thomas Manns Zauberberg aufzunehmen und eine Vorgeschichte zu schreiben, wenn… ja wenn der Autor auf die letzten beiden Seiten hätte verzichten können. In diesen geht er darauf ein, dass Danzig für die Deutschen für alle Zeiten verloren ist. Inhaltlich mag das ja sogar stimmen, es passt aber nicht zur Vorgeschichte des Zauberbergs, nicht in der Abfolge der historischen Ereignisse, nicht im Handlungsstrang, erst recht nicht im Erzählfluss. Schade.

[Wojtek Konieczny · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.5/10

[literaturoznawstwopl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jako psychofan "Czarodziejskiej Góry" przeczytałem z dużą przyjemnością.

[Hadrian · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always on the look out for the next Who Was David Weiser?, but thus far I haven't found another Huelle book that quite lives up to my expectations.

Castorp is meant to be a prequel to Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. Hans Castorp is a student in Gdansk at the time of this book, before his adventures of Mann's novel. As I haven't read Mann's book, I'm not sure what Huelle's lends to it. However, I saw a review that calls Castorp a work of "literary fan fiction" which I like, and which about sums it up. I probably would have more feelings for this had I read The Magic Mountain first, but when I do eventually get around to reading it I'll be curious to see how the two work side-by-side, if for no other reason than to see how the German original compares to the Polish "prequel".

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prequel to The Magic Mountain, by a Polish writer who imagines the life of Hans Castorp before he took the train up the Zauberberg. He successfully mimics the tone and pace of Mann's own prose, and manages to give a thought provoking look at the development of Castorp's character in the Polish (then German) city of Gdansk/Danzig where he attends University. The landmarks of the area in that distant time are brought startlingly to life, along with an assortment of memorable characters and aspects of historic importance like the early practices of psychotherapy. Huelle's voice is confident and calm, leading one into his premise with a voice we want to follow, and continually want more. Hopefully he may consider a post script novel to Der Zauberberg that will take us into Castorp's later life.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way Huelle perfectly captures the language and setting of a lot of early modern fiction. You could have passed this book off as another Mann (the story is based on a minor character from The Magic Mountain.) A critic's review on the jacket was good enough to repeat, the scenes of the book are all pretty playful and silly, but where you can see Huelle is making some allusions to post-Magic Mountain Euro/Polish history it's a lot more serious.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what's basically literary fan fiction, the author gets the tone of the magic mountain down, and it's entertaining, but not much more than that.

[Jaime Lara]

no está en papyre

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So much was lost during WWI. This is a reflection on a culture, a city, a man. See more at International Reads' blog about Poland.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Czytałam ją tak długo, że trudno mi ocenić, bo sporo rzeczy pozapominałam. Podobała mi się atmosfera książki, ale nie dużo ze mną zostało. Może kiedyś wrócę.