Paul Busson (1873–1924)

A fractured and hallucinogenic novella about deja vu, reincarnation and the what it was like to be in an 18th Century European army.

Busson's The Man Who Was Born Again is an easily overlooked gem, reminiscent of Simplicius Simplicissimus and prefiguring My First Two Thousand Years. The introduction to this Dover edition (by E. F. Bleiler) is also, dare I say, fantastic. It includes a good short bio of Meyrink and a brief account of Meyrink's circle of Austrian writers, including Busson and a German, Hans Heinz Ewers. Meyrink is a fascinating character. Busson is too.

This Dover edition reproduces some illustrations from show more earlier editions (by Hugo Steiner-Prag and Alfred Kubin) and includes photos of the Prague ghetto, Altenau Synagogue and the Jewish Community House. Also reproduced: a contemporary advertisement for The Golem and a short letter from Meyrink, in Meyrink's handwriting, offering to collaborate on a periodical with another writer. show less

Busson's The Man Who Was Born Again is an overlooked gem, reminiscent of Grimmelhausen's Simplicius Simplicissimus and prefiguring Viereck's My First Two Thousand Years.