The Novel of My Life (1926)
Her memoir — “A Woman's Life at the Turn of the Century” — published posthumously in 1926, seven years after her death. All seventy-five chapters are now in English, as a first draft. It opens with a dedication written by her daughter, Helga Gericke.
All 75 chapters are translated (100,403 words of English). The book is now complete in English.
Contents
Part One — Youth and Growth
- 2PreludeVORSPIEL
- 3Family. First ImpressionsFAMILIE. ERSTE EINDRÜCKE
- 4AdolescenceADOLESZENZ
- 5Spreading WingsFLÜGELSPANNEN
- 6Studies and DreamsSTUDIEN UND TRÄUME
- 7First Journey to Rome — First LoveERSTE RÖMERFAHRT — ERSTE LIEBE
- 8Overcome — Taking Root — With the Future EmpressÜBERWUNDEN — WURZELFASSEN — BEI DER NACHMALIGEN KAISERIN
Part Two — Life and Work
- 9Marriage TragedyEHETRAGÖDIE
- 10“Mors Imperator”»MORS IMPERATOR«
- 11The MiracleDAS WUNDER
- 12The End of the MiracleDES WUNDERS ENDE
- 13Hurrying — Erring — Seeking — StrivingHASTEN — IRREN — SUCHEN — STREBEN
- 14Villa Waldfrieden — Preuschen Exhibitions — “Erotic” PoetryVILLA WALDFRIEDEN — PREUSCHEN-AUSSTELLUNGEN — »EROTISCHE« LYRIK
- 15International Press Congress in ItalyINTERNATIONALER PRESSEKONGRESS IN ITALIEN
- 16A Transaction — “Gloria”EINE TRANSAKTION — »GLORIA«
- 17The Founder of a Religion — The False SystemDER RELIGIONSSTIFTER — DAS FALSCHE SYSTEM
- 18“Vampire Longing” — Hunger for Life»VAMPYR SEHNSUCHT« — LEBENSHUNGER
- 19Paris Preuschen ExhibitionPARISER PREUSCHEN-AUSSTELLUNG
- 20The BarbarianDER BARBAR
- 21The BlackmailDIE ERPRESSUNG
- 22Journey through ScotlandREISE DURCH SCHOTTLAND
- 23Vienna Exhibition — The “Friend of the Czechs”WIENER AUSSTELLUNG — DIE »TSCHECHENFREUNDIN«
- 24Munich Exhibition — Switzerland — Spain — Portugal — Madeira — JohannaMÜNCHNER AUSSTELLUNG — SCHWEIZ — SPANIEN — PORTUGAL — MADEIRA — JOHANNA
- 25The IncubatorDIE BRUTMASCHINE
- 26Christl and GreeceCHRISTL UND GRIECHENLAND
- 27The Way of PrincesFÜRSTENART
- 28“An Ordinary Herr von H...”»EIN GEWÖHNLICHER HERR VON H...«
- 29On the Riviera — in Corsica — Porto VenereAN DER RIVIERA — IN KORSIKA — PORTO VENERE
- 30The AdoptionDIE ADOPTION
- 31InterludeZWISCHENSPIEL
- 32Niobid ArmsNIOBIDENARME
Part Three — The World a Gate to a Thousand Wonders
- 33The World a Gate to a Thousand WondersDIE WELT EIN TOR ZU TAUSEND WUNDERN
- 34Indian Preuschen ExhibitionINDISCHE PREUSCHEN-AUSSTELLUNG
- 35Hiddensee and the ChildrenHIDDENSEE UND DIE KINDER
- 36Norway JourneyNORGE-FAHRT
- 37With Björnson at AulestadBEI BJÖRNSON IN AULESTAD
- 38Russian Cabbage SoupRUSSISCHE KOHLSUPPE
- 39Buying the TempioTEMPIO-ANKAUF
- 40Exhibition in LondonAUSSTELLUNG IN LONDON
- 41Moving House — New PlansUMZUG — NEUE PLÄNE
- 42The Second World JourneyDIE ZWEITE WELTREISE
- 43Back to the Tempio — A New World JourneyZURÜCK ZUM TEMPIO — NEUE WELTREISE
- 44Cape Town — KimberleyKAPSTADT — KIMBERLEY
- 45Rhodesia — Bulawayo — Matoppos — KhamiRHODESIA — BULAWAYO — MATOPPOS — KHAMI
- 46The Eighth Wonder of the WorldDAS ACHTE WELTWUNDER
- 47Johannesburg — Pretoria — DurbanJOHANNESBURG — PRETORIA — DURBAN
- 48From Durban to Tanga — Through Portuguese Land and Zanzibar — On Africa's West CoastVON DURBAN BIS TANGA — DURCH PORTUGIESENLAND UND SANSIBAR — AN AFRIKAS WESTKÜSTE
- 49To KilimanjaroNACH DEM KILIMANDSCHARO
- 50Through the Lion Desert to VoiDURCH DIE LÖWENWÜSTE NACH VOI
- 51At the Sources of the White NileAN DEN QUELLEN DES WEISSEN NIL
- 52On the Uganda Railway to Mombasa, and by Way of Aden to CeylonAUF DER UGANDABAHN NACH MOMBASA UND ÜBER ADEN NACH CEYLON
- 53The Tempio RobberyTEMPIO-RAUB
- 54To the Temple Wonders of CambodiaNACH KAMBODSCHAS TEMPELWUNDERN
- 55In Annam and Tonkin, and in the Bai d'AlongIN ANNAM UND TONGKING UND IN DER BAI DALONG
- 56Honolulu and the Fire-Lake KilaueaHONOLULU UND DER FEUERSEE KILAULEA
- 57Through the Canadian Rockies to ChicagoDURCH DAS KANADISCHE FELSENGEBIRGE NACH CHIKAGO
- 58By Way of Chicago, Niagara and the Thousand Islands, down the St Lawrence to BostonÜBER CHIKAGO, NIAGARA, DIE TAUSEND INSELN, AUF DEM LORENZOSTROM NACH BOSTON
- 59After the Catastrophe in the TempioNACH DER KATASTROPHE IM TEMPIO
- 60Primula verisPRIMULA VERIS
- 61Back in the TempioWIEDER IM TEMPIO
- 62To Tunisia — TunisNACH TUNESIEN — TUNIS
- 63Sousse — El Djem — Sfax — Gabès — GafsaSOUSA — EL DJEM — SFAX — GABES — GAFZA
- 64Tozeur — Sbeitla — Kairouan — Dougga — Bulla RegiaTOZER — SBEITLA — KAIRUAN — DOUGGA — BULLAREGGIA
- 65Algeria: Constantine — Timgad — El KantaraALGERIEN: KONSTANTINE — TIMGAD — EL KANTARA
- 66Biskra — TouggourtBISKRA — TOUGGOURT
- 67Kerrata — Chabet el Akhra — Bougie — Djurdjura (Atlas)KERRATA — CHABET EL AKRA — BOUGIE — DJURDJURA (ATLAS)
- 68In AlgiersIN ALGIER
- 69Tlemcen — Mansourah — Oran — Blida — Cherchell — TipasaTLEMCEN — MANSOURIA — ORAN — BLIDAH — CHERCHELL — TIPAZA
- 70In Kabylia. Crossing to Palma — Barcelona — MontserratIN KABYLIEN. ÜBERFAHRT NACH PALMA — BARCELONA — MONT SERRAT
- 71Marseilles — Les Baux — Arles — MistralMARSEILLE — LES BEAUX — ARLES — MISTRAL
- 72MabronkMABRONK
- 73War — Money — CollapseKRIEG — GELD — ZUSAMMENBRUCH
- 74PythiaPYTHIA
- 75Inge — HelgaINGE — HELGA
📖 Or read the German and English side by side →
About the book
Der Roman meines Lebens: Ein Frauenleben um die Jahrhundertwende (“The Novel of My Life: A Woman’s Life at the Turn of the Century”) is her memoir, published posthumously in 1926 (she died in 1918). Its chapters read like a map of her whole story — Jugend und Wachstum (Youth and Growth), Leben und Wirken (Life and Work), with sections on »Mors Imperator«, her Rome years, her marriages, her exhibitions, and her travels.
Because she tells the story in her own voice, it is the single most valuable source for her life. The English translation above is going forward chapter by chapter, and is the first the book has had.