Alma Mahler: Un carácter apasionado

by Cate Haste, Marta de Bru de Sala (Translator)

El recorrido por la vida de Alma Mahler supone también el repaso de la historia y del arte de los últimos tiempos. Este libro nos lleva desde la Viena del siglo XIX hasta el Nueva York del siglo XX, y con él sorteamos las dos guerras mundiales, el surgimiento de nuevas formas artísticas (como la Bauhaus) y la historia de la música del siglo XX. 
 
Es, además, una invitación inevitable a reflexionar sobre el papel de una mujer que no se dejó ensombrecer por los hombres que la acompañaron (Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius, Franz Werfel), ni se dejó doblegar por la maternidad. 

Apasionada, sociable, curiosa, extrovertida, adelantada a su época y ajena al qué dirán, Mahler no escatimó a la hora de llenar su vida de jugosas aventuras que hacen de este libro una lectura fascinante.

"Cautivadoramente accesible... Escrito con una prosa lúcida y elegante, es un tesoro de riquezas culturales europeas y escandalosas intrigas"
— The Economist

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, History, Biography Memoir, British Literature

540 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2019

Reviews

[La gata lectora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Llegué a esta biografía buscando más de la vida de esta mujer que tanta fama tuvo en la Viena del siglo XIX y XX. Una mujer que debió de ser un terremoto por su pasión por la música especialmente, pero también por otras artes como la literatura, la pintura… y sus relaciones en los círculos intelectuales y artísticos de la época.

Alma componía música, iba con una carpeta a cuestas con sus propias canciones, tomaba clases, tocaba en reuniones, iba a conciertos.

También tuvo muchas relaciones amorosas apasionadas. Se casó varias veces, tuvo amantes, relaciones platónicas por carta… con genios del momento que lejos de potenciarla intentaron eclipsarla y someterla al papel de jarrón, musa y, en los peores casos, de ama de casa.

Una vida apasionante de idas y vueltas, de con este y con aquel, de enamoramientos y decepciones, de viajes, de alegrías y de desgracias.

Esta biografía tiene una cosa buena: está bien documentada. Todo lo que aparece aquí viene de cartas que escribió la propia Alma. Pero son cartas que escribió a sus amantes o sobre sus amantes… por lo que se centra principalmente en sus relaciones amorosas y en lo que sus maridos o amantes hacían o a lo que se dedicaban.

Y me pregunto yo ¿y qué hay de Alma? Estando ya en el siglo XXI ¿no se podría enfocar su biografía de forma que no siga pareciendo un satélite de lo masculino? Evidentemente no podemos cambiar la vida que tuvo, pero Alma era mucho más que su vida sentimental y familiar… y precisamente eso es lo que yo quería leer y no he podido.

Por tanto, Alma, querida, sigo queriendo conocerte más a fondo y seguiré buscando información sobre ti, sobre tu trabajo, sobre tus composiciones, porque te lo mereces, porque tus maridos y amantes ya consiguieron la fama que buscaban, pero a ti te han intentado relegar al fondo de tu carpeta.

[Ann Olszewski · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing biography of one of the 20th century's most fascinating women, and perhaps its greatest artistic muse. Alma Mahler was married to one of the century's greatest composers (Mahler), a pioneer in modernist architecture (Gropius) and one of the most widely read pre-War II writers (Werfel). She was herself a very talented composer, but was unable, as a woman of her time, to fully explore her gifts.

Haste did a lot of research, and presents her subject in a clear-eyed fashion. It's a fast-paced biography, although not stylistically impressive. You'll read it for the story, not for the beauty of the language. But if you have an interest in European intellectual life of the pre-war years, this is a hard one to put down.

[Maria Fernanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kinda thought her life was more adventurous than it actually was. Knowing all those artists from the 20th century and all. But she's pretty basic. Very disappointing. Didn't finish. Don't recommend.

[Odette Castro Rodríguez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un llibre amb nombroses cites que expliquen la vida d'Alma Mahler amb una perspectiva molt ample. Agafa no només les seves pròpies reflexions vitals, també les de totes les persones que l'acompanyaren durant la seva vida.
He obert els ulls en quant a ella en diferents aspectes.

[Bárbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75.

[María Snoussi Aroca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pasé por la Feria del Libro en Madrid hace eso de un mes. Vi este libro. Había escuchado un par de veces el nombre de Alma Mahler durante mis investigaciones para la novela que estoy escribiendo, y entre la compradora compulsiva de libros que soy y el interés que ya tenía por ella, no tardé mucho en llevármelo.
Antes que nada, tengo que aclarar que no he leído casi nada (por no decir nada directamente) en el género de la biografía. Así que esta reseña está escrita por una persona completa y totalmente inexperimentada. Dicho lo dicho, prosigo con la reseña.
Tengo sentimientos encontrados con este libro.
Empezando por lo positivo, todo el trabajo de documentación me ha parecido muy remarcable. Se nota que la autora ha hecho un extensísimo trabajo por leer y recuperar todo lo que se ha dicho y escrito sobre este personaje tan controversial. La redacción no es mala, y, aunque la lectura no es lo que se diga amena, tampoco es terriblemente pesada. Sufro más con Julio Verne.
Consigue crear un buen panorama de Alma y de la época que vivió, todo bien construido y ordenado.

Ahora voy a cargar con todo lo negativo.
Aunque se hable de un acercamiento más "feminista" a esta figura que siempre se ha pintado como egoísta y aprovechada, sigo sintiendo que la parte principal de Alma ha quedado completamente ninguneada.
Imaginemos a un compositor, uno de los mejores compositores hombres de su tiempo, aunque su obra fuese muy menospreciada. Imaginemos que se casa con una importante compositora, otra importante arquitecta y finalmente una importante escritora, además de ser, entre medias, amante de una importante pintora. E imaginemos que alguien escribiese una biografía de este compositor.
Lo central de la obra, digo yo, serían sus composiciones. Se hablaría de cuándo compone cada una (o, en caso de ser muy numerosas, al menos las más importantes), de en qué se inspira, de qué técnicas hace uso. Se hablaría de sus esposas y de sus relaciones con ellas, y el dato de que todas fuesen tan destacadas sin duda se consideraría "interesante". Es posible que se hablase un poco de las influencias de estas en él.
Lo que yo no me imagino es que se hablase más de la obra de sus esposas que de la suya. Que se contase cuándo cada una compone tal o cuál sinfonía, escribe tal o cuál obra, pinta tal o cuál cuadro, y que en cambio las menciones a la obra del compositor sean casi nulas. Que el centro de lo que se cuenta de él sea todo lo que acontece y deja de acontecer con sus matrimonios.
Y esto último es lo que hace Cate Haste en esta biografía (salvo que el compositor es Alma y las esposas son sus esposos). Y yo no veo nada de "feminista" en ello.
Otra cosa que me desespera es la falta de una interpretación de la autora. Un análisis propio de la vida de Alma. Una opinión sobre lo que hace Mahler al prohibirle componer, o sobre cuando Gropius intenta quitarle la custodia de su hija, o sobre el maltrato de Kokoschka, o sobre algo. ¿De qué me sirve a mí leer una biografía donde la biógrafa no analiza nada? Sería más práctico leerme directamente los diarios de Alma, que al final se citan tantísimo que media obra está solo transcrita de ahí.
En resumen, me he enfadado demasiado como para darle más de 2 estrellas.

[Zuzana Santamaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alma is ofter pictured as an anti-Semitic self-centered muse to the famous men of her time. This book adds more complex view of her life as a passionate lover of music, talented composer in times when womens’ composing talent was atributed to their teachers rather than themselves. Cate Haste has done massive research thru letters and diaries of Alma and her livers - Mahler, Kokoschka, Gropius and Werfel. A must read!

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exceptionally irritating person. Well-written biography however. Yes, she was a complex person, but sometimes she just seemed intentionally provoking especially when she spouted her anti-Semitic rants. Selfish and utterly devoid of self awareness. A terrible mother and wife. And an error in the book. She met Conrat Veith????? Umm no. His name was Conrad Veidt. Still, from a music and art history perspective, it was very fascinating. Did not like her AT ALL.

[Barbara Hall Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a fan of the music of Gustav Mahler and always interested in the history of Vienna and the Hapsburg Empire, I was intrigued to learn more of Alma. Well researched and very readable prose, depicting the life of this musically gifted, intellectual and highly spirited woman who lived among the cultural elite. Disturbing though, to read how pervasive anti-semitism was during this period in Vienna, rendering Alma rather anti semitic.

[Jeffrey Manners · Rating 3 out of 5]

In order to write a proper review about a non-fiction book the reviewer should ideally have a good knowledge of the subject or subjects covered in the book. This is why I generally find the reviews in the New York Review of Books to be superior to those which appear in most other publications, which tend to be written by journalists or non-specialists. I cannot claim to be an expert on Alma Mahler on Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius, or Franz Werfel for that matter. Yet, that being said I do have a good knowledge of the history of Central Europe and the period of time during which Alma Mahler lived. In this regard, I did find a few errors in the text. Although these are not critical to the narrative, they do raise concerns. As a reader without specialist knowledge in a number of topics I'm relying on the author to provide an accurate factual narrative on those subjects. (The errors included stating that Hungary became a republic after the First World War and that Austria-Hungary had not been in a war for 50 years when World War One started. Although the Habsburgs had been deposed Hungary was still formally a monarchy. And Austria had been at war in 1866. )
Considering the people she knew and the times she lived in, Alma Mahler clearly offers a fascinating subject for a book. Yet, my high expectations of this book where disappointed. All too often I had the impression that I was reading the diary of teenage girl enthusing about her favorite rock band or the ups and downs of her love and sex life. I saw very little evidence to support the idea that Alma Mahler was an intellectual. If Alma Mahler was able to attract all these leading intellectuals and creative people to her, what did they actually she talk about with them ? Rarely does the book make any reference to the stimulating discussions which must have taken place about literature, art, music or architecture. Does Alma Mahler does bring these points up in her diary, which was the main reference for this book? Or does the author omit these references as she feels her readers will not consider them to be of any interest? After all, love and sex may provide better material for a page turner.
The author does mention that she had some detractors such a Elias Canetti, who called her out for being superficial. If his evaluation of Alma Mahler was closer to the truth, then how was she able to attract such a circle of intellectuals around her ? The book leaves this question unanswered.
Although I had higher expectations of this book, I did find it an interesting read and can recommend it.

[David Dunlap · Rating 3 out of 5]

How do you solve a problem like (Alma) Maria (Schindler)? Who WAS Alma Maria Schindler Mahler Gropius Werfel, anyway? Was she the muse to some of the most creative men of her time -- composers, architects, writers, artists? Was she a shrewish harpy, feeding on the genius of others? Was she a sweet, loving woman? Was she a cold social climber? Yes. Yes. Yes. and Yes. -- In a word: Alma Mahler-Werfel (as she liked to style herself in her later years) was COMPLICATED. In this new look at her life, we see the woman in all her contradictions and glories. We see the gifted musician who wanted to pursue her art, only to fall in love with a prominent composer/conductor (Gustav Mahler) who stifled her creativity and refused to vie for public attention as a composer. We see the loving, devoted wife who indulges in an affair with the man who would become her second husband (Walter Gropius) -after- she had been widowed...AND involved in a torrid affair with artist Oskar Kokoschka. After Marriage #2 collapses, we see Alma moving on to poet/novelist Franz Werfel, who was her second great passion -- when she was not thinking of Kokoschka whenever her relationship to her third husband hit a bump, that is. We see the devoted mother (who lost three of her four children and aborted at least one more) who nevertheless felt an antagonism toward her surviving daughter Anna (who was to have FIVE husbands!) One truly needs a scorecard to keep all the affairs straight: who DOES Alma TRULY love? In the end, one draws the conclusion that her greatest love was herself. -- Drawing on many of Alma's own words in letters, diaries, and pubished memoirs, author Haste presents a multi-faceted woman who, while she may have been admirable, was often not very likeable. Fascinating woman! Dreadful soul! Read -- and be amazed!

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal and captivating, one of the best-written biographies I’ve ever read. I have an undergraduate degree in music performance (voice) but Alma Mahler was mentioned perhaps once in passing, and never as a composer, supporter, and muse of so many creative luminaries of her time. Her influence on music, theater, opera, poetry, literature, painting, architecture, and more is felt deeply throughout this book. On a recent trip to Vienna, her name kept cropping up in museums alongside the works of household names (Schonberg, Kokoschka, obviously G Mahler, Zemlinsky) - she was the connective tissue championing and embodying their work in such a tumultuous era of history. Fabulous biography. I would absolutely take a full course on the instrumental women in music and art history whose presence, support, and inspiration motivated the art we herald as masterpieces throughout time.

[ISRA · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75. Repetitive but true to Alma. I can’t help but feel she merited the reputation she had - living vicariously through her partners. A toxic muse and serial cheater who gustav Klimt and Alexander von zemlinsky recognized/called out. Even for the times she wasn’t progressive or dedicated to fighting sexism or traditional values as other women were. She neglected her music until she was in forced solitude. I felt bad for the men she was involved with because she seemed to only like them for their talent - even saying it to her 1st husband- the more esteemed a man the more she loved/was drawn to them and how it reflected her as a muse. None of her relationships seemed healthy either especially Oskar K.

[Karen Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of Alma Mahler before I read this biography...but what a fascinating subject. She sounds like the kind of person that men adored and women hated (because men adored her). Alma certainly must have been extraordinarily magnetic to attract so many men...marrying 3 who were also extraordinary: Gustav Mahler (composer), Walter Gropius (architect), and Franz Werfel (writer). She inspired them to greatness while realizing, often with misgivings, that her own talents as a composer were set aside.

A good read on her times, loves, and thoughts.

[Andrew Spitznas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the best biographies, this profile of Alma Mahler-Werfel gives a great look at a turbulent time (fin de siecle Vienna, both world wars, a hasty flight to America) and a circle of friends and lovers who were some of the greatest minds of the time. In a different time, she could've become a great composer, but instead chose and had chosen a life as muse. And what a turbulent interior! Nowadays, she would be diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, but such internal and external chaos, exhausting to read at times, was clearly exhausting to live.

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

First nonfiction of the year. Her life was wild, and the way she attracted artists was both enviable and appalling. There were so many names to keep track of which made it a little tedious. Without a doubt, she led an incredible, and painful life. It reminds me of the value of surrounding yourself with art.

[Elisenda Fusté Forès · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha gustado bastante, aunque me hecha bastanta para atrás que se cuente su vida en base a los señoros que la rodearon (que unis machistas todos empezando por el "gran" Mahler, en fin).
Me hubiese gustado tanto poder disfrutar de toda la música que hubiese creado si los hubiese mandado todos a tomar por saco...en fin, nada nuevo bajo el sol.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alma Schindler Mahler Gropius Werfel was famous for her personality and her marriages (and various affairs). A talented composer (thwarted by Gustav Mahler), she was at the center of Viennese culture at the beginning of the 20th century. Married to Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius (briefly), and Franz Werfel, she was at once a muse and a problem. A compelling person--why is there not a series?

[David Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Passionate” to be sure and headstrong along with it. Three illustrious husbands to her credit: Gustav Mahler, Walter Gropius. and Franz Werfel. Includes a rich, descriptive background of 1900 Viennese culture.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written but couldn’t really like Alma. You do get to understand why Freud was so successful in Vienna, though! 😀

[Hermien · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating life spanning an interesting period in European history. It deals especially with Alma's emotions based on her letters, diaries and own writings.

[Älvi Lindborg-Koh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The men were drawn to me like midges to a lamp
ICON BEHAVIOUR

[Johan Ulfsparre · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that Alma Mahler is such a charismatic character with an interesting life. However, this book was just a bit to literal for me. A lot of details about absolutely nothing. I felt that it was like reading a Wikipedia page in some parts.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, easy-to-read biography of a fascinating historical figure.

[G]

3,5- zoveel coole artiesten waren echte weirdos jeetje

[Ludmila Raynal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love dope women