''Der Zauberlehrling'' (''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'') is a novel by

Hanns Heinz Ewers Hanns Heinz Ewers (3 November 1871 – 12 June 1943) was a German actor, poet, philosopher, and writer of short stories and novels. While he wrote on a wide range of subjects, he is now known mainly for his works of horror, particularly his tril ...

, one of numerous works inspired in various ways by

Goethe Johann Wolfgang (von) Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German polymath who is widely regarded as the most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a wide-ranging influence on Western literature, literary, Polit ...

's poem of the same name. Ewers' first book, it was published in 1910. An English translation was published in America in 1927. It introduces the character of Frank Braun, who, like Ewers himself, is a writer, historian, philosopher, and world traveller with a decidedly

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...

an morality. The story concerns Braun's attempts to manipulate a small cult of

Evangelical Christians Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...

in a small Italian mountain village for his own financial gain, and the horrific results which ensue.

E. F. Bleiler Everett Franklin Bleiler (April 30, 1920 – June 13, 2010) was an American editor, bibliographer, and scholar of science fiction, detective fiction, and fantasy literature. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he co-edited the first "year's best" s ...

, "Ewers, Hanns Heinz" in Sullivan, Jack, (ed.) ''The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural''. (pp. 145-6). Viking, New York. 1986. Braun returned in sequels by Ewers, the 1911 ''

Alraune ''Alraune'' (German language, German for ) is a novel by German novelist Hanns Heinz Ewers published in 1911. It is also the name of the female lead character. The book originally featured illustrations by Ilna Ewers-Wunderwald. Legend The bas ...

'' where he creates a

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

-like female creature and the 1921 ''

Vampyr ''Vampyr'' () is a 1932 Gothic horror film directed by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. It was written by Dreyer and Christen Jul based on elements from Sheridan Le Fanu's 1872 collection of supernatural stories '' In a Glass Darkly''. The ...

'' where he is transformed into a blood-drinking creature. Although Ewers eventually became attracted to the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, Frank Braun is depicted as having a Jewish mistress, Lotte Levi, who is also a patriotic German. This was one of the factors which ended Ewers' popularity with the Nazi leadership.

References

1910 German-language novels 1910 German novels Novels by Hanns Heinz Ewers Works based on The Sorcerer's Apprentice {{Europe-novel-stub