Author | Felix Salten |
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Original title | Florian: Das Pferd des Kaisers |
Translator | Erich Posselt and Michel Kraike (US) Norman Gullick (UK) |
Illustrator | Philipp Arlen (Swiss) |
Language | German |
Genre | novel |
Set in | Vienna |
Publisher | Paul Zsolnay Verlag |
Publication date | 1933 |
Publication place | Austria |
Published in English | 1934 |
Pages | 330 (Austrian) 204 (Swiss) 343 (US) 287 (UK) |
OCLC | 797472098 |
Florian: The Emperor's Stallion (German : Florian: Das Pferd des Kaisers), also published as Florian: An Emperor's Horse and Florian the Lipizzaner, is a 1933 novel by the Austrian writer Felix Salten, made in 1940 to the film Florian . The novel tells the story of a Lipizzan horse during and after the decline of the Habsburg monarchy in Vienna, circa 1901–1930.
The storyline of Florian can be divided in four sections. First, the childhood of Florian in Lipizza (currently Lipica, Slovenia) is depicted. Second, the story follows Florian in the Spanish Riding School where he performs with great excellence to aristocrats and monarchs, becoming a leading horse and a favourite of the emperor Francis Joseph. The third section – after a short episode back in the Lipizza Stud Farm where Florian sires offspring – presents Florian's career in the Imperial Mews of Vienna where Florian and his mates pull the emperor's coach. Finally, after the outbreak of World War I and death of the emperor, Florian becomes unemployed, is auctioned, abused by a city coachman, and sold as useless. [1] During the whole novel, the fate of the horse is set against a historical background – the dying Habsburg empire. [2]
As in two other animal novels of Salten, Renni the Rescuer and Djibi, the Kitten , also in Florian the protagonist is an animal, surrounded by other animals and people, and the story covers several years, not a single year, as in Fifteen Rabbits , for instance. [3]
Florian is born in Lipizza on St. Florian's day, 4 May, 1901. From early on, he is taken care of by a simple stable-boy Anton Pointner, who later follows Florian to Vienna, the Spanish Riding School, because the horse is depressed when separated from his familiar caretaker. The third central character is a fox terrier called Bosco who has a deep co-dependent relationship with the horse. The animals are seen somewhat anthropomorphic in this novel: the narrator imagines what the animals might be thinking or saying, [4] and the humans treat the animals almost like persons, that is, with respect and love. [5]
Numerous fictitious characters and historical figures are included in the subsidiary personal gallery of the novel. These include Captain von Neustift, his wife Elisabeth, the riding master Ennsbauer, the State coachman Konrad Gruber, as well as the emperor Francis Joseph and the archduke Franz Ferdinand.
The characters of the riding master Ennsbauer and his mistress, the stage diva Gabriele Menzinger were modelled after the real riding master Johann Meixner (1865–1917) and the actress Helene Odilon (1863–1939). [6]
According to Salten's biographer Beverley Driver Eddy, "the portrayals of royalty are as compelling as those of the animals". [7] As a journalist, Salten was famous for his sketches, portrayals and obituaries of celebrities, which were also collected in books: Buch der Könige (1905) and Das österreichische Antlitz (1909). [8] In Florian, the text sometimes turns into "a history lecture" [9] about the Heir Apparent, Franz Ferdinand, who receives special attention: he is shown coarse and impatient to ascend to the throne, and the antagonism between him and the emperor is illustrated in detail. [7] Also the visiting monarchs Edward VII of England and Nicholas II of Russia are depicted in a lively way.
Florian was first published in German language by Paul Zsolnay Verlag in 1933 and quickly went into second printing. [10]
After Salten was forced to exile to Switzerland in 1939, his new publisher put out new editions of his work with novel illustrations, and Florian was released there in 1942 with illustrations by Philipp Arlen (1876–1944). This edition, however, is heavily abridged. The text is not rewritten, but sections of the text and certain episodes are left out, like Bosco's amorous escapades with the bitch Prittie [11] and the disastrous visit of Nicholas II to Vienna. [12] The novel was abridged also earlier, in 1937, Holland, by Adam van der Woude for the series Neue deutsche Bibliothek. [13]
The unabridged German-language text of Florian has not been available in print since the 1930s. Some translations made after 1939 use the abridged text of Florian with Arlen's drawings, including the French one and the Dutch one. [14] The Finnish translation from 2021 presents the full text with Arlen's illustrations, and hence this edition consists of both illustrated and unillustrated sequences. [15]
Florian was translated into English in 1934 both in the United States (Florian: The Emperor's Stallion) and in the United Kingdom (Florian: An Emperor's Horse). Both editions reproduce the complete text with slight modifications, and both are unillustrated. The American edition has chapter numbering added to the novel; the British edition has the paragraph division altered and there are small omissions in the text. [14]
The following sample shows how differently the translators have interpreted a short excerpt: [16]
American edition | British edition |
---|---|
Once when they trotted back to Ischl from an evening's hunt they came, in the deep dusk of the forest, directly upon a stag. The light from the carriage lanterns flickered over his ruddy skin and crown of antlers. Then he bounded into the thicket and disappeared. | Once when they were returning to Ischl from an evening's deer-stalking a bear was standing in the middle of the dark forest road. The carriage lamps shone uncertainly on its reddish skin, its ruffle and head. The two horses twitched their ears anxiously and gazed with astonishment at the shadowy apparition. But as they came nearer it sprang aside into the thicket and disappeared. Florian was about to ask Capitano whether he knew what it was, but Capitano forestalled him with the same question, and by that time the thing had vanished. |
In Neues Wiener Tagblatt , the novel was praised as "a passionate creed to Austria", and the reviewer of Neues Wiener Journal characterized it as not only a novel of "a horse, of a small dog, of a stable hand, but at the same time also a novel of the Old Austria". [6] As for the American edition, Saturday Review of Literature wrote in 1934 that Florian is "a revelation, comparable to the revelation of 'Nijinsky' to those who thought the ballet a triviality". [10] According to Eddy, "Florian is Salten's most perfect blending of animal and human existences". [10]
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: CS1 maint: others (link)An MGM film was made in 1940: Florian , starring Robert Young, Helen Gilbert and Charles Coburn. [19]
Bambi, a Life in the Woods is a 1923 Austrian coming-of-age novel written by Felix Salten, and originally published in Berlin by Ullstein Verlag. The novel traces the life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and the experience he gains about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest. It is also, in its most complete translation, seen as a parable of the dangers and persecution faced by Jews in Europe.
Florian was a Christian holy man and the patron saint of chimney sweeps; soapmakers, and firefighters. His feast day is 4 May. Florian is also the patron saint of Poland, the city of Linz, Austria, and Upper Austria, jointly with Leopold III, Margrave of Austria.
Felix Salten was an Austro-Hungarian author and literary critic in Vienna. His most famous work is Bambi, a Life in the Woods, which was adapted into an animated feature film, Bambi, by Walt Disney Productions in 1942.
The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner is a European breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroque type, and is powerful, slow to mature and long-lived; the coat is usually gray.
The Spanish Riding School is an Austrian institution based in Vienna, dedicated to the preservation of classical dressage and the training of Lipizzaner horses, whose performances in the Hofburg are also a tourist attraction. The leading horses and riders of the school also periodically tour and perform worldwide. It is one of the "Big Four", the most prestigious classical riding academies in the world, alongside the Cadre Noir, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, and the Royal Andalusian School.
Josephine Mutzenbacher or The Story of a Viennese Whore, as Told by Herself is an erotic novel first published anonymously in Vienna, Austria, in 1906. The novel is famous in the German-speaking world, having been in print in both German and English for over 100 years and sold over 3 million copies, becoming an erotic bestseller.
The Murgese is an Italian breed of riding horse. It is named for its area of origin, the plateau of Le Murge in southern Italy, most of which lies in the region of Puglia. It was formerly used as an agricultural or military horse; selection for a lighter type more suitable for riding began in the second half of the twentieth century.
Alois Podhajsky was an Austrian soldier and Equestrian, riding instructor and Olympic medal-winner in dressage. He was the director of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria and competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1948 Summer Olympics.
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English stod meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation of the breedings that occur on a stud farm leads to the development of a stud book. Male animals made available for breeding to outside female animals are said to be "standing at stud", or at "stud service", referencing the relatively high probability that they are kept at a stud farm.
Bambi's Children: The Story of a Forest Family is a 1939 coming-of-age novel written by Austrian author Felix Salten as a sequel to his 1923 work Bambi, a Life in the Woods.
The Rottaler is a German breed of riding and carriage horse of heavy warmblood type. The name derives from that of the Rottal, the valley of the Rott in the Landkreis of Rottal-Inn in south-eastern Bavaria. It is critically endangered. The Bavarian Warmblood derives from it.
The Piber Federal Stud is a stud farm dedicated to the breeding of Lipizzan horses, located at the village of Piber, near the town of Köflach in western Styria, Austria. It was founded in 1798, began breeding Lipizzan horses in 1920, and today is the primary breeding farm that produces the stallions used by the Spanish Riding School, where the best stallions of each generation bred at Piber are brought for training and later public performance. One of Piber’s major objectives is "to uphold a substantial part of Austria’s cultural heritage and to preserve one of the best and most beautiful horse breeds in its original form."
Florian is a 1940 American romantic drama film directed by Edwin L. Marin, and starring Robert Young and Helen Gilbert. It is loosely based on the novel Florian by Felix Salten.
The Hound of Florence: A Novel is a 1923 novel written by Felix Salten. It is best known today for partly inspiring the 1959 Walt Disney Productions film The Shaggy Dog as well as its sequels and remakes. The novel was first translated into English in 1930 by Huntley Paterson, and the translation has illustrations by Kurt Wiese.
Fünf Minuten Amerika is a 1931 travel book by the Austrian writer Felix Salten, depicting his tour of 1930 in the United States of America. This was his second travel book, following his account of Palestine, Neue Menschen auf alter Erde, of 1925. Salten considered them his two books worthy of special mention.
Neue Menschen auf alter Erde: Eine Palästinafahrt is a 1925 travel book by Felix Salten, depicting his 1924 visit to Mandatory Palestine. Neue Menschen auf alter Erde was first published as a series of feuilletons in a Vienna newspaper. Salten considered it one of his two books worthy of special mention.
Renni the Rescuer: A Dog of the Battlefield is a 1940 war novel by Felix Salten, describing the career of a military working dog called Renni, a German Shepherd dog, and his master, Georg.
Djibi, the Kitten is the last novel of Felix Salten, published originally in 1945 and translated into English in 1946. Similarly as in other Salten's late books, the protagonist is an animal, this time a young female cat called Djibi.
Fifteen Rabbits is a 1929 survival and adventure novel by the Austrian writer Felix Salten. The novel depicts a year in the life of a colony of rabbits in the same forest where Bambi dwells.