Bücher von Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

One of the peculiarities of Bulwer was his passion for occult studies. They had a charm for him early in life, and he pursued them with the earnestness which characterized his pursuit of other studies. He became absorbed in wizard lore; he equipped himself with magical implements, -- with rods for transmitting influence, and crystal balls in which to discern coming scenes and persons; and communed with spiritualists and mediums. The fruit of these mystic studies is seen in _Zanoni_ and "A strange Story," romances which were a labor of love to the author, and into which he threw all the power he possessed, -- power re-enforced by multifarious reading and an instinctive appreciation of Oriental thought.A story of love and occult aspiration.

Das Buch, mit dem Arno Schmidt sich von >Zettel's Traum

Edward George Bulwer schrieb im Jahre 1834 den historischen Roman Die letzten Tage von Pompeji. Ein Jahr darauf erschien die erste deutsche Übersetzung dieser literarischen Sensation, die bis heute an Attraktivität nichts eingebüßt hat.So gehört sein historischer Roman einerseits zum populären Literaturkanon des Italien- bzw. Pompeji-Reisenden, andererseits zum beliebten Stoff von Drehbuchautoren und Filmregisseuren von den Kindertagen des Films an, wozu nicht zuletzt akribische Detailschilderungen und die bemerkenswerte Gabe, das Leben historisch zu rekonstruieren, beigetragen haben dürften. Generationen von Lesern und Filmzuschauern haben sich von der faszinierenden Vorstellung jener furchtbaren Naturkatastrophe fesseln lassen, von der Vorstellung, daß durch den Ausbruch des Vesuvs menschliches Leben und Treiben in einem Augenblick erstarb und manche Schreckensmomente in Lava und Asche bis in die Gegenwart konserviert und sichtbar blieben.

"Vril" is a mysterious energy used by Lytton's subterranean race -- refugees from the deluge that submerged Atlantis -- to power their advanced civilization. Generations of occultists have mistaken this bit of business for something other than fiction; and still more generations of science fiction writers have recycled the novel's plot. Vril is a book of strong interest to anyone doing a scholarly study of the evolution of SF; it's also a novel well worth reading in its own right. (Jacketless library hardcover.)

By way of introduction, the author confesses: "... It so chanced that some years ago, in my younger days, whether of authorship or life, I felt the desire to make myself acquainted with the true origins and tenets of the singular sect known by the name of Rosicrucians." A manuscript came into his hands written in the most unintelligible cipher, a manuscript which through the author's own interpretation became Zanoni. One of the peculiarities of Bulwer was his passion for occult studies. They had a charm for him early in life, and he pursued them with the earnestness which characterized his pursuit of other studies. He became absorbed in wizard lore; he equipped himself with magical implements, -- with rods for transmitting influence, and crystal balls in which to discern coming scenes and persons; and communed with spiritualists and mediums. The fruit of these mystic studies is seen in _Zanoni_ and "A Strange Story," romances which were a labor of love to the author, and into which he threw all the power he possessed, -- power re-enforced by multifarious reading and an instinctive appreciation of Oriental thought. (Jacketless library hardcover.)