The Golem

"The Golem" is the first novel by the Austrian expressionist writer Gustav Meyrink. The author studied occultism and theosophy, and was interested in Eastern practices. There were rumors about Meyrink that he was an alchemist - he willingly supported this... myth. His extensive experience studying Kabbalah and spiritualism was most vividly manifested in his first novel "The Golem", which became one of the most famous mystical works. The novel features a tense detective plot and a considerable number of allusions rising to Kabbalah, Buddhism, and alchemy. Mysterious Prague in the early 19th century. An unnamed narrator finds a hat inside of which the owner's name is indicated — Athanasius Pernat. After that, he dreams about this man. Reality and dreams merge into one, and the narrator sets off in search of Pernat and learns: everything he saw actually happened many years ago. But who is this Pernat? A restorer or the embodiment of the clay Golem from an ancient legend?