Georg Trakl: Biography and Creativity

Georg Trakl is an outstanding Austrian poet, whose work was evaluated only after his death. His fate was tragic, and life ended at the age of 27. Nevertheless, a small poetic heritage had a tremendous impact on the development of Austrian literature and posthumously glorified the writer.

Origins and childhood

So, who is he - Georg Tracl? Biography says that the hero of our narrative was born on February 3, 1887 in Salzburg. The family was large, but well-to-do, my father had a business - a shop of hardware. Mother of the writer Maria gave birth to her husband many children, among whom Georg was the fifth. Despite such a number of offspring, the mother spent most of her time in antiques and music, without burdening herself with the upbringing of the younger generation. The French governess Marie was engaged in the children. Little George was very afflicted by this attitude of the mother, which later reflected in his poems.

But not only the image of the mother imprinted on the child's mind. Remained with him forever and Marie, who seemed a sublime being from another time. The governess was a devout Catholic who wanted to convert the pupils into her faith. In addition, the woman taught them French and introduced the literature of her country. It was her upbringing that strongly contributed to the formation of George as a poet. Despite the insult that he hid to the end of his days, his writer always spoke of his love with affection, calling him the happiest time in his life.

Study

At the age of 5 Georg Trakl entered the preparatory school at the pedagogical school, and at 10 he was transferred to the gymnasium. But studying was not easy for George, he even stayed for the second year, and in grade 7 at the final exam failed in three subjects: mathematics, Latin and Greek. He even knew the grammar of his native language badly. George's speech was very wrong, he could not connect two words. The boy was very difficult in school, the Austrian orders painfully hit his ego. Classmates remembered him as a young man who always had "a quiet, stubborn mockery" on his face.

Failures in studies led to the fact that in 1905 George threw the gymnasium and went to the apprentices as apprentices.

The first works

Georg Trakl very early felt his passion for poetry. Even during his studies at the gymnasium, he went to a literary circle, called "Apollo." At this time, the young writer became interested in drama. In 1906, two of his plays were staged in the city theater of Salzburg: Fata Morgana and Remembrance Day. However, both performances were disastrous, the audience did not appreciate them. For George this was a real blow. In frustrated feelings, he destroyed the text of the tragedy that he had just finished writing.

But this failure did not stop the young man. A year later in the city edition of the "Salzburg Folk Newspaper" appeared his first verse "Morning Song".

However, the literary success was somewhat overshadowed by the fact that eighteen-year-old Georg was addicted to morphine, veronal and wine. His drug addiction was caused by big problems with interaction with the surrounding world and people. Reality for the poet was unbearable, the world of human relations seemed complicated and evil. This prompted him to go into a world of fantasies and dreams. Despite the addiction, George is called a deeply religious person. In his poetry you can find many Christian images, motifs and themes.

Forbidden love - was it?

Georg Tracl and his sister were in very close relations, which gave rise to a lot of gossip and guesswork. But is there any truth in them?

In 1908, the poet went to the University of Vienna to the pharmacological department, but at that time he completely gave himself over to poetry and could not with due responsibility take his studies. For him, the literary world has become another opportunity to escape from reality.

The reason for this was not only the inability to build relationships with others, but also the forbidden feeling. Since childhood, George was in love with his younger sister Margaret. He considered this passion sinful and called his curse. Nevertheless, the love for the girl became the main existential experience of the poet, which formed the basis of all his work.

There are various assumptions about their relationship, right up to sexual intercourse. But none of this has been confirmed and applies only to artistic fiction. This is confirmed by the fact that a close friend of George in 1912 had a stormy affair with Margaret.

Brother and sister were related only by family relations. They were very similar in character and outlook. Margaret was the first connoisseur of the poet's early poetry. Georg trusted her with all her dreams and secrets. And her sister was always ready to support him and comfort him when the society rejected the young man. Hence all the confessions of love that are present in the poet's poems. For him, the sister was the only person who could understand him.

Life in the world of poetry

Verses were the only way to open your soul and speak out. Only in them Georg Trakly could be himself. Poems appeared one after another. However, it was very difficult to publish them. During the life of the writer, one small collection of his works was published.

Despite immersion in the world of poetry, he managed to graduate from the university and obtain a master's degree. After this, Georg returned to his native Salzburg. For some time he worked in a pharmacy. However, this life brought him only grief, because it was completely unethical and not like a world of dreams. So in his poems he described this time: "... what an infernal chaos of rhythms and images."

In the service he often sat with his head in his hands, not noticing anything happening around. He was completely absorbed in his thoughts. The owner of the pharmacy, a very good-natured person, often let the young man go home earlier.

Without means of subsistence

Two passionate increases in the writer - drugs and poetry - have become bad companions for real life. In none of the work Trakl could last long, and the money he received for publishing poetry in the newspaper was not enough for anything. The poet was unsettled, working in a pharmacy, and then in a hospital could not change the situation. Literary work was impossible to make.

Georg Trakel even wanted to go to Borneo, work in a pharmacy there, but he was denied resettlement to the Netherlands colony. This deprived him of his last hope of somehow finding a place in this world.

Finding Yourself

In these years George lives only on the money that his friends lend him, about which he wrote so much in his poems. The writer tries to find a place and rushes all over Europe, he visits Mulau, Innsbruck, Venice, Salzburg, Vienna. But everywhere he is around the clock work on the works, which he often rewrote, beggarly existence, wine, corrupt women and drugs. All this is done with incredible enthusiasm and passion Georg Trakl. Complete collection of poems is also a complete description of the life of the poet, as all this is reflected in his poems. However, during his lifetime, the writer will never be able to see such a publication.

Trakle leads a wild life. Familiar notes sharp changes in his mood and character. He could be a pleasant and delicate interlocutor, but he could show aggression and swore uncontrollably. During this period, the poet was actively involved in the work of Dostoevsky. It was from the works of the Russian classics that the name "Sonya" came into his poetry.

Recent years and death

Occupying the lower steps of the social ladder, always in need of money, Trakle still managed to get acquainted in the world of art. So, in 1912 he met publishers of the magazine Brenner, literary critics O. Kokoshka and K. Kraus, as well as famous sculptors and painters. However, these ties were not strong due to the spiritual state of the poet himself and his volatile behavior.

In 1913, the only published in the course of his life was the collection of Trakl, which was called "Poems".

In 1914, the poet receives a scholarship for distressed writers. But the poet did not have time to use it - the war began. The tractor as a reservist was soon drafted into the army. He was sent to the front-line hospital as a pharmacist. In between battles, the writer continues to drink and use drugs.

But when heavy fighting started, and there were not enough medics, Trachk had to take up the treatment. Having no education and experience, he operated wounded soldiers. Horrors of war plunged him into such a depressive state that he tried to commit suicide. But he was stopped in time and sent to the hospital in Krakow for examination by a psychiatrist. Here he finished the work he started, having committed suicide on November 3, 1914. The death certificate in the column "Cause" stated: "Suicide due to cocaine intoxication".

Georg Tracl, "Sebastian in a Dream"

This collection of poems became the second poet. Unfortunately, Georg did not wait for his publication, since it was published in 1915, a year after the author's death.

The poet personally engaged in the preparation of the collection, selected poetry, then read the proof-reading corrections. Collection with a similar name can be found on the shelves of bookstores today, but its content will be slightly different. "Sebastian in a dream" often turns into a complete collection of works of the poet.

George Tracl. Analysis of the poem "Winter Night"

Consider one of the program poems of the writer.

The work describes a picture familiar to the poet, when he, drunk, leaves a fuss and noise, going home at night. Georg describes the sensations that are experienced at this time: "Your feet are ringing when walking ... a smile full of sadness ... petrified on your face ... the forehead frosts from frost." The mood of the lyrical hero is gloomy, everything is permeated with tragedy, even nature foretells the bad: "The stars have come together in unkind signs." The night does not bode well, but the day is a salvation. His offensive is described majestically and solemnly: "Silver is favored by a pink day." The arrival of dawn is accompanied by a chime of "ancient bells". The sun chases night darkness and the bad dreams of the poet.

Tragic character is Georg Trakly. Poems of the writer are a direct proof of this. His lyrical hero is immersed in a dark world filled with shadows, bad omens and bad dreams. Only daylight can take it out of this state. But the next night, everything will happen again.

In cinematography and music

In the pop culture took not the last place George Trakl. The film about his secret connection with his sister was filmed in 2011 by director Christophe Stark. The painting was called "Taboo. The soul has no place on earth. " There is a lot of artistic fiction and conjectures in the plot, which is easy to see, considering that so far none of the biographers of the writer has confirmed that he really had an affair with his sister. The picture was not widely disseminated, the assessments of viewers and critics were average.

More popular is the writer's work with musicians. So, David Tukhmanov composed songs on the verses of Georg Traklya. The cycle of the composer was called "Holy Night, or Sebastian's Dream."

In addition, the 1992 album of the German gothic rock band ALSO was completely dedicated to the writer's work. And in 1978 Klaus Schultz, composer of the Berlin school, composed a musical sketch called Georg Trakl.