Robert Musil 1

Robert Musil

Robert Musil

Musil in 1900

Born 6 November 1880Klagenfurt, Austria-Hungary

Died 15 April 1942 (aged61)Geneva, Switzerland

Occupation Novelist

Nationality Austrian

Period 190542

Genre Literary fiction

Literary movement modernism

Signature

Robert Musil (German: [muzl] or [musl]; 6 November 1880 15 April 1942)[1] was an Austrian writer. Hisunfinished novel The Man Without Qualities (German: Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften) is generally considered to beone of the most important modernist novels. However, the novel has not been widely read both because of itsdelayed publication and intricate, lengthy plot. It is, nonetheless, a significant literary achievement that foresaw theimpending disaster in Europe after the first world war.Wikipedia:Citation needed

FamilyMusil was the son of engineer Alfred Edler von Musil (1846, Temesvr 1924) and his wife Hermine Bergauer(1853, Linz 1924), who lived together with an unrelated "uncle" Heinrich Reiter (born 1856), the houseguest in theMusil family. The family moved to Chomutov until October 1881, and in 1891 father was appointed to the chair ofMechanical Engineering at the German Technical University in Brno, and awarded a hereditary nobility in theAustro-Hungarian Empire shortly before it collapsed. He was a second cousin of orientalist Alois Musil.Hermine Bergauer was the daughter of a Bohemian German engineer, Franz (Xaver von) Bergauer (3 December1805, Hoovice 11 October 1886, Linz).[2][3][4]

Robert Musil 2

Biography

Commemorative plaque in Brno

The young Musil was short in stature, but strong and skilled atwrestling, and by his early teens already more than his parents couldhandle. Accordingly they sent him to military boarding school atEisenstadt (18921894) and then Hranice(18941897). These schoolexperiences are reflected in his first novel, Die Verwirrungen desZglings Trless (The Confusions of Young Trless).

After graduating as a cadet, Musil briefly studied at a military academyin Vienna during the fall of 1897, but then switched to mechanicalengineering, joining his father's department at Technical University inBrno. During his university studies he studied engineering by day, butat night read literature and philosophy, and went to the theatre and art exhibits. Nietzsche, Dostoyevsky, RalphWaldo Emerson, and Ernst Mach were particular interests of his university years. Musil finished his studies in threeyears, then in 19021903 served as an unpaid assistant to Professor Julius Carl von Bach(de), in Stuttgart. Duringthis time he began work on Young Trless and invented the device "Musil'scher Farbkreisel", The Musil color top, asimple tool for continuous production of mixed colors by additive color mixing with two differently colored rotatingdisks.

Even then, however, Musil was growing tired of engineering and what he perceived as the limited world-view ofengineers, and rather than settle into an engineering career, he launched a new round of doctoral studies (19031908)in psychology and philosophy at the University of Berlin under the renowned Professor Carl Stumpf. In 1905, Musilhad met his future wife, Martha Marcovaldi (ne Heinemann, 21 January 1874 6 November 1949). She hadalready been widowed and remarried, with two children, and was seven years older than Musil. In the midst of thesestudies his first novel, Young Trless, was published in 1906.In 1909, Musil completed his doctorate and was offered a position by Professor Alexius Meinong, at the Universityof Graz, which he turned down to concentrate on writing of novels. Over the next two years, he wrote and publishedtwo stories ("The Temptation of Quiet Veronica" and "The Perfecting of a Love") collected in Vereinigungen(Unions) published in 1911. During this same year, Martha's divorce was completed and Musil married her. As hiswife was Jewish, they both converted to Protestantism as a sign of their union.[5] [6] [7] Until this time, Musil hadbeen supported by his family, but he now found employment first as a librarian in the Technical University ofVienna, and then in an editorial role with the Berlin Literary Journal, during which time he worked on a playentitled Die Schwrmer (The Enthusiasts), which was eventually published in 1921.

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Depiction of Musil at the Musilhaus inKlagenfurt

When World War I began, Musil joined the Army, stationed first inTirol, and then away from danger at Austria's Supreme ArmyCommand in Bolzano. In 1916 Musil visited Prague and met FranzKafka, whose work he held in high esteem, as he did the work ofBohemian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. At the memorial service for Rilkein Berlin, Musil remarked that Rilke was "undervalued" for most of hislife, and by the time of his death, he had turned into "a delicate,well-matured liqueur suitable for grown-up ladies", but that his work is"too demanding" to be "considered relaxing".[8] After the war's end,and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire, Musil returned to hisliterary career in Vienna. He published a collection of short stories,Drei Frauen (Three Women), in 1924, and then in 1930 and 1933 inBerlin 1,074-page Volume 1 (Part I: A Sort of Introduction, and PartII: The Like of It Now Happens) and 605-page unfinished Volume 2(Part III: Into the Millennium (The Criminals)) of his masterpiece, TheMan Without Qualities (Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften). Part III didnot include 20 chapters withdrawn from Vol. 2 of 1933 while inprinter's galley proofs. The novel deals with the moral and intellectualdecline of the Austro-Hungarian empire through the eyes of the book'sprotagonist Ulrich, an ex-mathematician who has failed to engage withthe world around him in a manner that would allow him to possess'qualities'. It is set in Vienna on the eve of World War I.

The Man Without Qualities brought Musil only mediocre commercialsuccess. Though he was nominated for the Nobel Prize, he felt he did

not receive the recognition he deserved. He sometimes expressed annoyance at the success of more famouscolleagues like Thomas Mann or Hermann Broch, who admired his work deeply, and, moved by his materialpoverty, tried to shield him against daily worries and encouraged him to further his literary work, even though Musilwas initially critical of Mann.

In the early 1920s Musil lived mostly in Berlin. In Vienna Musil was a frequent visitor to Eugenie Schwarzwald'ssalon (the model for Diotima in The Man Without Qualities). In 1932, the Robert Musil Society was founded inBerlin on the initiative of Thomas Mann. The same year Thomas Mann was asked to name an eminent contemporarynovel and he cited exclusively The Man Without Qualities. In 1936, Musil suffered his first stroke.The last years of Musil's life were dominated by Nazism and World War II: the Nazis banned his books. He sawearly Nazism first-hand while living in Berlin from 1931 to 1933. In 1938, when Austria became a part of the ThirdReich, Musil and his Jewish wife Martha left for exile in Switzerland, where he died on 15 April 1942. Martha wroteto Franz Theodor Csokor[9] that taking off his clothes in the bathroom, maybe when doing gymnastics or otherwiseindisposed, he had been hit by a stroke and, when she found him a few minutes later, did not look dead at all but soalive with some mockery and astonishment on his face. He was 61 years old and only eight people were present athis cremation. Martha cast his ashes into the woods of Mont Salve.[10] From 1933 until his very last day, Musil wasworking on Part III of The Man Without Qualities. In 1943 in Lausanne, Martha published a 462-page collection ofmaterial from his literary remains including the 20 galley chapters withdrawn from Part III before publishing Vol. 2in 1933, as well as drafts of the final incomplete chapters and notes on the development and direction of the novel;she died in Rome in 1949.

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LegacyAfter his death Musil's work was almost forgotten in German-speaking countries. His writings began to reappearduring the early 1950s. The first translation of The Man Without Qualities in English was published by Ernst Kaiserand Eithne Wilkins in 1953, 1954 and 1960. An updated translation by Sophie Wilkins and Burton Pike, containingextensive selections from unpublished drafts, appeared in 1995. Musil's work has been getting more attentionrecently, including the philosophical aspects of his novels. The philosophy journal The Monist is seekingsubmissions for a special issue on "The Philosophy of Robert Musil" to be published in January 2014 and edited byBence Nanay.[11]

Timeline 1880 November 6, Robert Musil born in Klagenfurt. Father Engineer Alfred Musil, mother Hermine. 18811882 The Musils move to Chomutov in Bohemia. 18821891 The Musils move to Steyr (Austria). Robert attends the Elementary School and the first grade of the

gymnasium. 18911892 Moves to Brno. Attends the Realschule. 18921894 Attends the military boarding school in Eisenstadt. 18941897 Attends the military Militr-Oberrealschule in Hranice (present-day in the Czech Republic) During

his working with artillery Musil discovers his interest in technique. 1897 Attends the Technische Militrakademie(de) in Vienna. 18981901 Quits officer training and starts studies at the Technical University in Brno. His father was a professor

there since 1890. First literary attempt, and first diary notations. 1901 doctorate exams. 19011902 Musil enlists in the infantry regiment of Freiherr von Hess Nr. 49 in Brno 19021903 Moves to Stuttgart to work at the University. Works on his first novel Die Verwirrungen des Zglings

Trless 19031908 Takes up a philosophy study; his majors are "logic and experimental psychology". 1905 in his diaries he makes the first notes that will eventually lead to Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften. 1906 Die Verwirrungen des Zglings Torless is published. Developed an apparatus to research colour experience

in people. 1908 Beitrge zur Beurteilung der Lehren Machs is the title of his doctoral thesis with which he promotes in

philosophy, natural science and mathematics. Declines an offer to upgrade his last military rank to an equalcivilian rank in favour of writing.

19081910 Works in Berlin as an editor for the magazine Pan and on his Vereinigungen and Die Schwrmer. 19111914 Librarian at the Technical University of Vienna. 1911 on 15 April Musil marries Martha Marcovaldi. Vereinigungen is published. 19121914 Editor for several literary magazines, including Neue Rundschau. 19141918 During World War I, Musil is officer at the Italian front. Decorated several times. 19161917 JulyApril: publishes the "Soldaten-Zeitung". 1917 On 22 October, Alfred Musil was hereditary ennobled as Alfred Edler von Musil, so Robert Musil also

belonged to the nobility until it was abolished less than two years later. 1918 Takes up writing again. 19191920 Works for the Information Service of the Austrian foreign department in Vienna. 1920 AprilJune: lives in Berlin. Meets Ernest Rowohlt who will become, in 1923, his publisher and will remain

so. 19201922 Adviser for army matters in Vienna. 19211931 Works as theatre critic, essayist and writer in Vienna. Works on Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften.

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1921 The play Die Schwrmer is published. 19231929 Is vice-president of Schutzverbandes deutscher Schriftsteller in stereich. Meets Hugo von

Hofmannsthal, who is president of the foundation. 1923 Awarded the Kleist Prize for Die Schwrmer. On 4 December Vinzenz und die Freundin bedeutender

Mnner is premired in Berlin. 1924 on 24 January his mother and on 1 October his father die. Awarded the art prize of the city of Vienna. Drei

Frauen is published. 1927 Holds a speech on the occasion on the death of Rainer Maria Rilke in Berlin. 1929 4 April premire of Die Schwrmer. In spite of protests by Musil, the play is shortened and therefore

incomprehensible, according to Musil. In the autumn awarded the Gerhart Hauptmann award. 1930 The first two parts of Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften are published. In spite of critical support, the financial

situation is precarious. 19311933 Lives and works in Berlin. 1932 Foundation of a Musil-Gesellschaft by Kurt Glaser in Berlin. The foundation aims to provide Musil with the

means necessary to continue working on his novel. At the end of the year the third part of Der Mann ohneEigenschaften is published.

1933 in May Musil leaves Berlin, with his wife Martha. Via Karlovy Vary and Potstejn in Czechoslovakia theyeventually reach Vienna.

19341938 After the dismantling of the Berlin Musil-Gesellschaft, a new one is founded in Vienna. 1935 Lecture for the Internationalen Schriftstellerkongress fr die Verteidigung der Kultur" in Paris. 1936 Publishes his collection of thoughts, observations and stories Nachlass zu Lebzeiten. Suffers a stroke. 1938 Via northern Italy Musil and his wife flee to Zrich. Two days after their arrival, on 4 September, they are

having tea at Thomas Mann's home in Ksnacht. 1939 in July moves to Geneva. Musil continues to work on his novel under the worst financial circumstances, and

grows lonelier with exile. Thanks to the Zrich vicar Robert Lejeune, Musil receives some financial support,including from the American couple Henry Hall and Barbara Church. In Germany and Austria Der Mann ohneEigenschaften and Nachla zu Lebzeiten are banned and this ban is extended to all of his works in 1941.

1942 April 15, Musil dies in Geneva. 1943 Martha Musil publishes the unfinished remains of Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften on her own account. 19521957 Adolf Fris publishes the complete works of Robert Musil at Rowohlt.

Bibliography

Wikisource has original works written by orabout:Robert Musil

Die Verwirrungen des Zglings Trle (The Confusions of Young Torless, 1906), later made into a movie Derjunge Trless

Vereinigungen (1911) (Unions a collection of two short stories) Die Schwrmer (1921) Vinzenz und die Freundin bedeutender Mnner (1924) Drei Frauen (1924) (Three Women a collection of three short stories) Nachla zu Lebzeiten (1936) (Posthumous Papers of a Living Author a collection of short prose pieces) ber die Dummheit (1937) Der Mann ohne Eigenschaften (The Man Without Qualities, 1930, 1933, 1943, published in two volumes)

Robert Musil 6

References[1] He was baptized Robert Mathias Musil and his name was officially Robert Mathias Edler von Musil from 22 October 1917, when his father

received a hereditary title of nobility Edler, until 3 April 1919, when the use of noble titles was forbidden in Austria.[2] Sammlung Bergauer (pdf) (http:/ / www. landesarchiv-ooe. at/ xbcr/ SID-3DCFCFBE-FC82E7FB/ Bergauer. pdf)[3] http:/ / www. landesarchiv-ooe. at/ xchg/ SID-3DCFCFBE-EC088F9E/ hs. xsl/ 1225_DEU_HTML. htm[4] http:/ / zs. thulb. uni-jena. de/ receive/ jportal_jparticle_00011907[5] http:/ / escholarship. org/ uc/ item/ 5012d14x#page-10[6] http:/ / www. deutsche-biographie. de/ sfz67509. html[7] http:/ / www. hls-dhs-dss. ch/ textes/ d/ D12180. php[8] Robert Musil, Precision and Soul: Essays and Addresses, trans. Burton Pike and David S. Luft (Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1995).[9] Der Monat 026/1950, pp. 185189, on www.ceeol.com[10] Markus Kreuzwieser http:/ / www. sbg. ac. at/ exil/ lecture_5023. pdf[11] "Call for entries" (http:/ / monist. buffalo. edu/ callsforpapers. html#Musil), The Monist, n.d.

Further reading Stefan Jonsson, Subject Without Nation: Robert Musil and the History of Modern Identity (Durham and London:

Duke University Press, 2000). McBride, Patrizia C. The Void of Ethics: Robert Musil and the Experience of Modernity. Evanston, Ill.:

Northwestern University Press, 2006. Philip Payne, Graham Bartram and Galin Tihanov (eds), A Companion to the Works of Robert Musil (Rochester,

NY: Camden House, 2007). B. Pike, Robert Musil: An Introduction to His Work, Kennikat Press, 1961, reissued 1972. Thomas Sebastian, The Intersection f Science And Literature in Musil's 'The Man Without' (Rochester, NY:

Camden House. 2005).

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Robert Musil

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Musil.

Comprehensive site in Dutch and English (http:/ / www. xs4all. nl/ ~jikje/ ) by J. van Beers The website of the Robert Musil Literature Museum (http:/ / www. musilmuseum. at/ ) "Exhuming Robert Musil: A Fresh Look at The Man Without Qualities (http:/ / www. greatbooksguide. com/

Musil. html) by Ted Gioia (Great Books Guide)

Article Sources and Contributors 7

Article Sources and ContributorsRobert Musil Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=623959894 Contributors: Aethralis, Agent007ravi, Andreasmperu, Andres, Are3mare, Arno Matthias, AshcroftIleum, AshotGabrielyan, Attilios, Auntieruth55, Autoweaver, BDD, BartlebytheScrivener, Bearcat, Ben davison, Ben-Zin, Bigbander, Bradley Allen, Bronescu, ChrisGualtieri, CommonsDelinker, Conversionscript, D6, DBaba, Danny, Daubmir, Delirium, DisinheritedKnight, Dorftrottel, Download, Dsp13, Earbox, Espoo, Ffirehorse, Frederic Y Bois, Frietjes, GangofOne, Gauss, Geoff.powers, GerdaArendt, Goethean, GregorB, Hollomis, Homagetocatalonia, Ignacio Bibcraft, J R Gainey, Jahsonic, Jan.Kamenicek, Jauhienij, Jeanenawhitney, John K, John Vandenberg, Joy, KSchutte,Kallerdis, Kamenev, Koavf, Kwamikagami, Leonard Vertighel, Lockley, Lotje, M4gnum0n, Mafal, Mappase, Massimo Macconi, Michael Eriksson, Narziss39, Olessi, Oliver Chettle, Olivier,Omnipaedista, Palodine, Peter1c, Petropoxy (Lithoderm Proxy), Philip Cross, Pweemeeuw, R9tgokunks, RJFJR, Reedy, Rich Farmbrough, RickK, Robert K S, Rothorpe, Sadads, SamuelWolff,Santryl, Shakunneed, Sift&Winnow, Sighrik, Simonides, Sindinero, Sjc, Spaventa, Staxringold, Supparluca, Swliv, TomyDuby, Tony1, Tridentinus, Troels Nybo, Truffo, Tusbra, Varada, Vina,Vsop.de, WikHead, Wrahowitz, Ybk33, Yopie, , 95 anonymous edits

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