ROMAIN ROLLAND

Romain Rolland after a drawing by Granié (1909)

ROMAIN ROLLAND THE MAN AND HIS WORK

BY STEFAN ZWEIG

TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT BY EDEN and CEDAR PAUL

NEW YORK THOMAS SELTZER 1921

Copyright, 1921, by THOMAS SELTZER, Inc. All rights reserved PRINTED IN U. S. A.

Dedication

Not merely do I describe the work of a great European. Above all do I pay tribute to a personality, that of one who for me and for many others has loomed as the most impressive moral phenomenon of our age. Modelled upon his own biographies of classical figures, endeavouring to portray the greatness of an artist while never losing sight of the man or forgetting his influence upon the world of moral endeavour, conceived in this spirit, my book is likewise inspired with a sense of personal gratitude, in that, amid these days forlorn, it has been vouchsafed to me to know the miracle of so radiant an existence.

IN COMMEMORATION

of this uniqueness, I dedicate the book to those few who, in the hour of fiery trial, remained faithful to

ROMAIN ROLLAND AND TO OUR BELOVED HOME OF EUROPE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dedication PAGE

PART ONE: BIOGRAPHICAL

I. Introductory 1

II. Early Childhood3

III. School Days8

IV. The Normal School12

V. A Message From Afar18

VI. Rome23

VII. The Consecration29

VIII. Years of Apprenticeship32

IX. Years of Struggle37

X. A Decade of Seclusion43

XI. A Portrait45

XII. Renown48

XIII. Rolland As the Embodiment of the European Spirit52

PART TWO: EARLY WORK AS A DRAMATIST

I. The Work and the Epoch57

II. The Will To Greatness63

III. The Creative Cycles67

IV. The Unknown Dramatic Cycle71

V. The Tragedies of Faith. Saint Louis, Aërt, 1895-189876

VI. Saint Louis. 189480

VII. Aërt, 189883

VIII. Attempt To Regenerate the French Stage86

IX. An Appeal to the People90

X. The Program94

XI. The Creative Artist98

XII. The Drama of the Revolution, 1898-1902100

XIII. The Fourteenth of July, 1902103

XIV. Danton, 1900106

XV. The Triumph of Reason, 1899110

XVI. The Wolves, 1898113

XVII. The Call Lost in the Void117

XVIII. A Day Will Come, 1902119

XIX. The Playwright123

PART THREE: THE HEROIC BIOGRAPHIES

I. De Profundis133

II. The Heroes of Suffering137

III. Beethoven140

IV. Michelangelo144

V. Tolstoi147

VI. The Unwritten Biographies150

PART FOUR: JEAN CHRISTOPHE

I. Sanctus Christophorus157

II. Resurrection160

III. The Origin of the Work162

IV. The Work without a Formula166

V. Key to the Characters172

VI. A Heroic Symphony177

VII. The Enigma of Creative Work181

VIII. Jean Christophe188

IX. Olivier195

X. Grazia200

XI. Jean Christophe and his Fellow Men203

XII. Jean Christophe and the Nations207

XIII. The Picture of France211

XIV. The Picture of Germany217

XV. The Picture of Italy221

XVI. The Jews224

XVII. The Generations229

XVIII. Departure235

PART FIVE: INTERMEZZO SCHERZO (COLAS BREUGNON)

I. Taken Unawares241

II. The Burgundian Brother244

III. Gauloiseries249

IV. A Frustrate Message252

PART SIX: THE CONSCIENCE OF EUROPE

I. The Warden of the Inheritance257

II. Forearmed260

III. The Place of Refuge264

IV. The Service of Man268

V. The Tribunal of the Spirit271

VI. The Controversy with Gerhardt Hauptmann277

VII. The Correspondence with Verhaeren281

VIII. The European Conscience285

IX. The Manifestoes289

X. Above the Battle293

XI. The Campaign against Hatred297

XII. Opponents304

XIII. Friends311

XIV. The Letters317

XV. The Counselor320

XVI. The Solitary324

XVII. The Diary327

XVIII. The Forerunners and Empedocles329

XIX. Liluli335

XX. Clerambault339

XXI. The Last Appeal348

XXII. Declaration of the Independence of the Mind351

XXIII. Envoy355

Bibliography357

Index371

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

[Click on any image to view it enlarged. (note from the etext producer.)]

Romain Rolland after a drawing by Granié (1909)Frontispiece

FACING PAGE

Romain Rolland at the Normal School 12

Leo Tolstoi's Letter20

Rolland's Transcript of Francesco Provenzale's Aria from Lo Schiavo di sua Moglie34

Rolland's Transcript of a Melody by Paul Dupin, L'Oncle Gottfried35

Romain Rolland at the Time of Writing Beethoven142

Romain Rolland at the Time of Writing Jean Christophe162

Romain Rolland at the Time of Writing Above the Battle294

Rolland's Mother324

Original Manuscript of The Declaration of the Independence of the Mind352