novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by Austrian writer
Robert Schneider
Robert Peter Schneider (born March 9, 1971) is an American musician and mathematician. He is the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer of rock/pop band the Apples in Stereo and has produced and performed on albums by Neutral Milk Ho ...
, first published in German in 1992. It was an international success and was adapted into a feature film and an opera, among others.
History
The plot is set in an Austrian mountain village in the 19th century. The protagonists (Elias, Peter and Elsbeth) face hardship and fate which they cannot understand nor prevent. The title is derived from
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
, where
Hypnos
In Greek mythology, Hypnos (; Ancient Greek: means 'sleep') also spelled Hypnus is the personification of sleep; the Roman equivalent is known as Somnus. His name is the origin of the word hypnosis. Pausanias wrote that Hypnos was a dearest fr ...
, god of sleep, is the brother of
Thanatos
In Greek mythology, Thanatos (; grc, Θάνατος, pronounced in "Death", from θνῄσκω ''thnēskō'' "(I) die, am dying") was the personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appe ...
, god of death. A chorale which Bach set to conclude his cantata ''Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen'', BWV 56, which uses the same image, plays a role in the story.
The book is the first part of a
trilogy
A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...
, followed by ''Die Luftgängerin'' and ''Die Unberührten''.
The book was first published in 1992 by
Reclam
Reclam Verlag is a German publishing house, established in Leipzig in 1828 by Anton Philipp Reclam (1807–1896). It was an immediate success in Europe and has been translated into 36 languages. The first English-language edition was published by
Overlook Press
The Overlook Press is an American publishing house based in New York, New York, that considers itself "a home for distinguished books that had been 'overlooked' by larger houses".
History and operations
It was formed in 1971 by Peter Mayer, wh ...
in 1995 under the title ''Brother of Sleep''.
Plot
The protagonist, Johannes Elias Alder, called Elias, is born in a small mountain village in
Vorarlberg
Vorarlberg ( , ; gsw, label=Vorarlbergisch, Vorarlbearg, , or ) is the westernmost States of Austria, state () of Austria. It has the second-smallest geographical area after Vienna and, although it also has the second-smallest population, it is ...
. He is a gifted musician, training his voice and able to imitate all villagers. Peter, his cousin of about the same age, is fascinated by him. Elias secretly practices the organ at night, with Peter assisting him.
When the boys are twelve years old, Peter, who is abused by his father, sets fire to his parents' farm on Christmas Day. Elias, who discovers the flames first, rescues Peter's sister Elsbeth. More than half the village burns down during the fire. Elias doesn't tell anyone that Peter was the perpetrator of the fire, for love of his only friend.
Elias grows up to a good-looking and ambitious young man. After the organist and teacher commits suicide, Elias becomes his successor. He loves Elsbeth. Peter is jealous and arranges a marriage of Elsbeth and Lukas, the son of a wealthy farmer. Elias has a vision in a desperate night when he struggles with God. He loses his love for Elsbeth and becomes depressed.
When Elias is 22 years old, the cathedral organist of Feldberg listens to his organ playing and invites him to an organ festival. There, Elias plays an improvisation on the chorale "Komm, o Tod, du Schlafes Bruder" from Bach's cantata ''Ich will den Kreuzstab gerne tragen'', fascinating all listeners. His love for Elsbeth is revived and he decides to take his own life, according to the thoughts expressed in the chorale. He tries to sleep no more and dies, buried by Peter.
Adaptations
In 1995,
Joseph Vilsmaier
Joseph Vilsmaier (, 24 January 1939 – 11 February 2020) was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as ''Comedian Harmonists (film), Comedian Harmonists''.
Life
Bo ...
directed a film '' Schlafes Bruder'' (''Brother of Sleep''), with as Elias,
Ben Becker
Ben Becker (born 19 December 1964) is a German film, theatre and voice actor.
Biography
Becker was born in Bremen, the son of actress Monika Hansen and actor Rolf Becker. He is the brother of actress Meret Becker and the stepson of Otto Sande ...
as Peter, and
Dana Vávrová
Dana Vávrová (; 9 August 1967 – 5 February 2009) was a Czech-German film actress and director. She was one of the most popular German actresses throughout 1980s and early 1990s. After her role in Herbstmilch as Anna Wimschneider in 1989, she ...
as Elsbeth. It won several awards and was nominated in 1996 for the
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
in "Best Foreign Language Film."
In 1994/95,
Herbert Willi
Herbert Willi (born ) is an Austrian composer of classical music, whose orchestral works, concertos and chamber music have been performed internationally and also recorded. Willi composed an opera, ''Schlafes Bruder'', for the Opernhaus Zürich. ...
composed an opera ''Schlafes Bruder'' on a libretto by Robert Schneider, on a commission by the Opernhaus Zürich to celebrate ''1000 Jahre Österreich''. It premiered on 19 May 1996. The production was invited to the
Wiener Festwochen
__NOTOC__
The Wiener Festwochen (Vienna Festival) is a cultural festival in Vienna that takes place every year for five or six weeks in May and June. The Wiener Festwochen was established in 1951, when Vienna was still occupied by the four Allie ...
of 1996. In 2005, the band Helangår set the novel to music.
Literature
*
*
* Marion Kosmitsch-Lederer: ''Robert Schneiders „Schlafes Bruder“ – Eine Analyse des Romans.'' In: ''Österreich in Geschichte und Literatur.'' 50 5b/6 1999.
* Jutta Landa: ''Robert Schneiders „Schlafes Bruder“: Dorfchronik aus Kalkül.'' In: ''Modern Austrian Literature.'' Special "Heimat" Issue, Vol 29, No. 3/4, 1996.
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Iris Radisch
Iris Radisch (born 2 July 1959) is a German literature-journalist. Since 1990 she has written for the mass-circulation weekly newspaper, ''Die Zeit''. More recently she has come to wider prominence through her television work.
Biography
Iris R ...