Julia, you are magical (Roman)
Julia, you are magic (English Theater ) is a novel by William Somerset Maugham , which was published in 1937 by Heinemann in London and Doubleday Doran in New York City. In the same year a translation into German was published by Bastei-Verlag in Vienna under the title “Theater”.
The affairs of the 48-year-old celebrated London stage artist Julia Lambert are spread before the reader. Roger, the 18-year-old son, tells his mother, the "most important actress in England", to the face: "You never stop acting."
content
- The history
Julia was born in Jersey to a veterinarian. At the age of 16, the girl from Lyzeum came to the London Drama Academy. At that time, her facial expression is already versatile like that of the shower . As a 20-year-old poorly paid actress, she met her future husband, the 26-year-old mime Michael Gosselyn. Michael's father is a retired colonel. Michael turns out - in contrast to Julia - as a miserable actor. Nonetheless, Julia marries vain Michael, the most beautiful man in England. The husband made a name for himself - also thanks to his avarice - as a capable theater director and director. Michael previously went to war and returned home as a major decorated with the Military Cross and a member of the Legion of Honor. Shortly after the war ended, Julia - then almost thirty years old - gave birth to Roger. The love for Michael grew cold. When Michael's parents die, the inherited sum of money is not enough to buy his own theater in London. The young couple finds a well-to-do financier. Dolly de Vries helps out. She acts out of love. The little plump widow is not inclined to Michael, but to Julia. Michael breathes a sigh of relief when his wife stops making sexual demands on him. Finally Michael takes a loan from the bank and leases a new theater building, which he calls " Siddons Theater". The talented Julia becomes a rich woman through appearances in box office hits at the "Siddons Theater" and wants to enable Roger to train in Eton and then in Cambridge .
- The history
Julia gathers her devoted admirer, as the wealthy esthete Lord Charles Tamerly to pass up. On top of that, she has a lover - the auditor Thomas Fennel. Tom - as the young man is called - is only five years older than Roger. Lord Charles has been in love with Julia for years. Julia is considered his mistress by the London aristocracy. It is not so. Julia keeps Charles at a distance with a light hand. On the other hand, she goes to bed with Tom, who lives in modest circumstances. Julia knows the men. She feels that the sensual Tom doesn't love her. The adventure with Tom doesn't stop there. During a train ride to see her friend Dolly in Cannes , Julia sleeps with a stranger, bearded Spaniard. "Physically shattered" the actress climbs out of the sleeping car on the Côte d'Azur .
Returning to London, Julia, outraged and jealous of Roger, observes how Tom joins her son and classifies her as the mother of the older generation. Julia showered Tom with expensive presents. Offended, Tom returns the gifts of love.
Dolly annoys business partner Michael with her jealousy of Tom. Michael wants to get rid of the now 60-year-old as a donor. Dolly proves to be affectionate. Michael, pricked up his ears, confronts the nice family friend Tom. Julia thinks she can hear the rumbling of an approaching storm and puzzles: Will she be married to Charles in an emergency? The storm disappears. Tom turns to the very young actress Avice Crichton and gives Julia the pass. Humiliated, the aging Julia takes revenge on Tom, this green boy with the “voluptuous temperament”. After having sex again, she separates from him and starts an intrigue. On Julia's benevolent recommendation, Michael elaborately builds the beginner Avice into a hopeful star. In a joint appearance during the premiere of the play “Nowadays”, Julia der Neuen plays on the open stage in such a way that Michael doesn't want to have anything to do with the star after the premiere .
Julia doesn't want her Charles to languish any longer before the aforementioned premiere and would like to finally find herself ready for cohabitation. Nothing. Charles isn't interested. According to the perplexed Julia, the Lord is either gay or impotent. She almost got naked in front of the curly tail. Then Julia continues investigating the cause. Maybe she made Charles fidget a few years too much. They probably no longer find men attractive.
Roger relentlessly tells the bad mother truths before going to Scotland. Horrible - in the course of the argument, Julia has to fear that the son knows about her affair with Tom.
After these two moral shocks, it looks like Julia has finally had enough of their affairs.
Quotes
- "Praise always sounds sweet to the artist."
- Julia, when she's finally over with her affairs: "What is love against a beef steak with onions?"
- Charles said calmly, "Poetry arises from the calm memory of an emotional experience."
shape
The story is told loosely and easily by an omniscient William Somerset Maugham. Mostly Julia's ironic comment on the sometimes silly demeanor of her dialogue partners is put in parentheses. This notation is not maintained. Julia also thinks in the other place without round brackets.
There is another woman, Julia's cloakroom attendant Evie, who doesn't let herself be fooled and - when asked by Julia - in the midst of a world of beautiful appearances with the truth, by no means holds back: "You are not a beauty, you know that yourself."
interpretation
The text is not at all about outrageous stage events. As Roger - quoted at the top of the article - remarks, Julia never stops acting when she has stepped off the stage and into everyday life. William Somerset Maugham makes masterly use of this phenomenon when he has his Julia walk through real life as a stage figure in a hilarious manner throughout the novel. Julia whispers and does not shy away from a small perjury.
Film adaptations
- In 1962 the German film " Julia, Du bist zauberhaft " by Alfred Weidenmann with Lilli Palmer and Charles Boyer is shown.
- 1978, Latvia: Teatris by Jānis Streičs with Vija Artmane as Julia.
- 2004 the Canadian-US-American-Hungarian-British feature film comedy " Being Julia " by István Szabó with Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons .
German editions
First edition
- Theatre. Novel. Translated from the English by Renate Seiller . 260 pages. Bastei-Verlag, Vienna 1937
Used edition
- Julia, you are magical. Novel. Translated from the English by Renate Seiller. Verlag Volk und Welt, Berlin 1983 (4th edition). 322 pages (licensor: Rascher Verlag, Zurich Ⓒ 1943), without ISBN
Remarks
- ↑ engl. Heinemann
- ↑ engl. Doubleday Doran
- ↑ engl. W. Somerset Maugham bibliography
- ↑ At the beginning of the action, Julia 46 (edition used, p. 18, 4th issue) and Michael 52 (edition used, p. 12, 14th issue) are years old. Since Julia becomes a mother at the age of 30 and the son is 18 years old at the end of the novel (edition used, p. 188, 17. Zvo), the plot runs for about two years.
- ↑ If Julia displeases a piece of clothing, for example, she calls out “Entzückend!” (Edition used, p. 259, 16. Zvo)
- ↑ Julia gives her word of honor to the jealous Dolly: Never in her life has she had anything with Tom (edition used, p. 194, 8th Zvu).