Gustav Heinse ( bg, Густав Хайнзе), born Josef K. Klein (1896–1971), was a poet and translator who was mostly active in Bulgaria, where he lived and worked from 1924 until his death.

Biography and work

Heinse was born in 1896 in Castelnuovo in the

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...

Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia ( hr, Kraljevina Dalmacija; german: Königreich Dalmatien; it, Regno di Dalmazia) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entir ...

(today

Herceg Novi Herceg Novi ( cyrl, Херцег Нови, ) is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 in ...

in the

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...

, on the

Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

coast of

Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = M ...

). Heinse's father was an officer in the

Austro–Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army (, literally "Ground Forces of the Austro-Hungarians"; , literally "Imperial and Royal Army") was the ground force of the Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three part ...

Bohemian German German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part ...

extraction, while his mother was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

. His father's career as an officer meant that Heinse as a first-born son was destined to a military education. He studied at the military schools in

Sankt Pölten Sankt Pölten (; Central Bavarian: ''St. Pödn''), mostly abbreviated to the official name St. Pölten, is the capital and largest city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria, with 55,538 inhabitants as of 1 January 2020. St. Pölten ...

, Straß and Mährisch Weißkirchen (today Hranice in Přerov District) and graduated from the

Theresian Military Academy The Theresian Military Academy (german: Theresianische Militärakademie, TherMilAk) is a military academy in Austria, where the Austrian Armed Forces train their officers. Founded in 1751, the academy is located in the castle of Wiener Neustadt ...

Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...

. As a newly promoted officer, in 1916 the 20-year-old Heinse was dispatched to the Italian Front of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He served as part of the 43rd Infantry Regiment and fought at the Isonzo, taking part in the

battle of Doberdò The Battle of Doberdò took place in August 1916, fought by the Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary. The Austro-Hungarian army was primarily made up of regiments filled with Hungarians and Slovenians. The battle was a part of the Sixth Battle ...

, San Martino del Carso and

Monte San Michele Monte San Michele is a hill on the Karst Plateau, in the Italian province of Gorizia, on the border between the municipalities of Sagrado and Savogna d'Isonzo. It is located eight kilometres southwest of Gorizia, on the left bank of the Isonzo, ...

. The horrors of war shaped Heinse as a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

, and it was at the time (1916–1917) that he published his first poems. He would send his poetic works, complemented by articles, to newspapers in the

Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...

that would publish them. Major influences on the developing writer were

Hermann Hesse Hermann Karl Hesse (; 2 July 1877 – 9 August 1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include ''Demian'', ''Steppenwolf (novel), Steppenwolf'', ''Siddhartha (novel), Siddhartha'', and ''The Glass Bead Game'', ...

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

Romain Rolland Romain Rolland (; 29 January 1866 – 30 December 1944) was a French dramatist, novelist, essayist, art historian and Mysticism, mystic who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915 "as a tribute to the lofty idealism of his literary pro ...

and later

Rainer Maria Rilke René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recogni ...

, whom he also met in person. Heinse's earliest works authored during World War I were later republished by the independent

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

literary magazine ''Das Tage-Buch''. Years later, in 1937, he would publish these in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

in a book of poetry titled ''Der brennende Berg'' (“The Burning Mountain”). In 1924, Gustav Heinse arrived in Sofia, the capital of the

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria ( bg, Царство България, translit=Tsarstvo Balgariya), also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom ( bg, Трето Българско Царство, translit=Treto Balgarsko Tsarstvo, links=no), someti ...

, as a factory engineer for

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

company

Siemens & Halske Siemens & Halske AG (or Siemens-Halske) was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens. It was founded on 12 October 1847 as ''Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske'' by Werner von Siemens and Johann Geo ...

's Vienna branch. Heinse married and settled down in Bulgaria. The 1930s and 1940s were Heinse's most productive period as a poetry writer. They saw the release of the books ''Der brennende Berg'' (1937), an autobiographical account of Heinse's experiences on the Italian Front in his youth, and ''Der Garten'' ("The Garden", 1932), a collection of lyrical and love poetry. He continued his interest in poetry, though he also assumed a new role as a translator of eminent Bulgarian writers and poets from Bulgarian to

. His

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

''Bulgarische Gesänge'' ("Bulgarian Melodies"), issued in 1938, features German translations of poems by

Hristo Botev Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...

Pencho Slaveykov Pencho Petkov Slaveykov ( bg, Пенчо Петков Славейков) (27 April 1866 O.S. – 10 June 1912 ( O.S. 28 May 1912)) was a noted Bulgarian poet and one of the participants in the Misal ("Thought") circle. He was the youngest son o ...

Peyo Yavorov Peyo Yavorov ( bg, Пейо (Кр.) Яворов; born Peyo Totev Kracholov, Пейо Тотев Крачолов; 13 January 1878 – 29 October 1914) was a Bulgarian Symbolist poet. He was considered to be one of the finest poetic talents in th ...

, Teodor Trayanov, Nikolay Liliev,

Elisaveta Bagryana Elisaveta Bagryana ( bg, Елисавета Багряна) (16 April, 1893 – 23 March, 1991), born Elisaveta Lyubomirova Belcheva ( bg, Елисавета Любомирова Белчева, links=no), was a Bulgarian poet who wrote her fi ...

and Nikola Furnadzhiev. In 2006, the enlarged anthology was republished by

Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Велико Търново, Veliko Tărnovo, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo ...

publisher PIC; it includes German translations of Bulgarian poetry ranging from 19th-century

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian National Revival ( bg, Българско национално възраждане, ''Balgarsko natsionalno vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and tr, Bulgar ulus canlanması) sometimes called the Bu ...

champions

Lyuben Karavelov Lyuben Stoychev Karavelov ( bg, Любен Стойчев Каравелов) (c. 1834 – 21 January 1879) was a Bulgarian writer and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival. Karavelov was born in Koprivshtitsa. He began his ed ...

and

Ivan Vazov Ivan Minchov Vazov ( bg, Иван Минчов Вазов; – 22 September 1921) was a Bulgarian poet, novelist and playwright, often referred to as "the Patriarch of Bulgarian literature". He was born in Sopot, a town in the Rose Valley of ...

to modern authors

Leda Mileva Leda Mileva (Bulgarian: Леда Милева) (5 February 1920 – 5 February 2013) was a Bulgarian communist, writer, translator and diplomat. She was the daughter of Bulgarian poet Geo Milev Geo Milev (born Georgi Milev Kasabov; , in Radne ...

and

Valeri Petrov Valeri Petrov ( bg, Валери Петров, pseudonym of Valeri Nisim Mevorah (Валери Нисим Меворах); 22 April 1920 – 27 August 2014), was a popular Bulgarian poet, screenplay writer, playwright and translator of paternal J ...

. While Heinse would continue to translate Bulgarian lyric poetry until the end of his life, he also worked on translations of prose works (e.g. tales by

Yordan Yovkov Yordan Stefanov Yovkov ( bg, Йордан Стефанов Йовков) (November 9, 1880 – October 15, 1937) was a prominent Bulgarian writer from the interwar period. Biography Born in the village of Zheravna, Yovkov studied at First Sofia M ...

and Angel Karaliychev). Some of his translations were published in German magazines like ''Westermanns Monatshefte'', ''Die Literatur'' and '' Der Türmer'' or by the German-language Bulgarian press like ''Der Bulgarienwart'', ''Bulgarische Wochenschau'' and ''Sofioter Nachrichten''. In 1957,

East Berlin East Berlin was the ''de facto'' capital city of East Germany from 1949 to 1990. Formally, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet sector of Berlin, established in 1945. The American, British, and French sectors were known as ...

-based publisher Volk und Welt released Heinse's translation of

Dimitar Dimov Dimitar Todorov Dimov ( bg, Димитър Тодоров Димов, 25 June 1909 – 1 April 1966) was a Bulgarian dramatist, novelist and veterinary surgeon. Biography Born in Lovech, Dimov is best known for his best-selling novel ''Tob ...

's influential novel ''Tyutyun'' ("Tobacco"), signed by Heinse under his real name, Josef Klein. Heinse died in Sofia in 1971.

Bibliography

* ''Der Garten. Ein Liederkranz'' (Sofia, 1932) * ''Der brennende Berg'' (Sofia, 1937, 2nd ed. 1950) * ''Bulgarische Gesänge'' (Sofia, 1938; 2nd ed. Veliko Tarnovo, 2006) * ''Tabak'' (Berlin, 1957) * ''Die Grille. Lyrik'' (Veliko Tarnovo, 1994)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heinse, Gustav 1896 births 1971 deaths 20th-century Bulgarian people 20th-century Austrian people 20th-century Bulgarian poets 20th-century Austrian poets Austrian male poets Austrian translators Bulgarian male poets Bulgarian translators Translators to German Translators from Bulgarian Austro-Hungarian Army officers Austrian World War I poets Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Bulgarian Austro-Hungarians Austrian emigrants to Bulgaria Bulgarian people of German descent Bulgarian people of Czech descent Bulgarian people of Italian descent People from Herceg Novi Writers from Sofia German Bohemian people 20th-century translators 20th-century Austrian male writers