Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971)
Author of The Song at the Scaffold
About the Author
Image credit: Deutsche Bundespost
Works by Gertrud von Le Fort
Am Tor des Himmels 2 copies
La femme éternelle 2 copies
The Judgement of the Sea 2 copies
Erzählende Schriften 1 copy
Der Papst aus dem Ghetto 1 copy
La Última en el Cadalso 1 copy
Die Consolata 1 copy
Plus Ultra. 1 copy
Die Brautgabe 1 copy
Dialogues des carmélites 1 copy
Die Tochter Jepthas 1 copy
Der Turm der Beständigkeit 1 copy
Die Letzte am Schafott 1 copy
Le Silence 1 copy
EL PAPA DEL GHETTO. 1 copy
Madonnen, eine Bilderfolge 1 copy
The veil of Veronica 1 copy
Il filo rosso 1 copy
The Tower of the Constant 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Le Fort, Gertrud von
- Legal name
- Le Fort, Gertrud Auguste Lina Elsbeth Mathilde Petrea von, Baroness
- Other names
- Stark, Gerta von
Vallerin, Petrea
Le Fort, Gertrud - Birthdate
- 1876-10-11
- Date of death
- 1971-11-01
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- Schriftstellerin
novelist
poet
essayist - Organizations
- Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung
- Awards and honors
- Literaturpreis der Stadt München (1947)
- Short biography
- Gertrud von Le Fort was born in Minden, Germany, the daughter of an aristocratic Prussian Army officer of Swiss Huguenot descent. She was educated in Hildesheim, and studied at the universities of Heidelberg, Marburg and Berlin. In 1926, she converted to the Roman Catholic faith, and much of her subsequent writing focused on the struggle between faith and conscience. In 1931, she published a novella, Die Letzte am Schafott; an English translation called The Song at the Scaffold appeared in 1933 and became the inspiration for the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites (1957) by Francis Poulenc. During her career, she published more than 20 novels and collections of short stories and poems.
- Nationality
- Germany
- Birthplace
- Minden, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Deutschland
- Place of death
- Oberstdorf, Bayern, Deutschland
- Associated Place (for map)
- Germany
Members
Reviews
The Song at the Scaffold: A Novel of Horror and Holiness in the Reign of Terror by Gertrud von LeFort
The Song at the Scaffold is a novella written in 1931 fictionalizing the martyrdom of Carmelite nuns during the Reign of Terror. The faith displayed by long-time Nuns is portrayed alongside the fear and confusion of a new initiate to the order. The French Revolution is playing out all around them. Decrees come down that no new initiates should be added to any religious order, and even that all such orders should be disbanded. This era of extreme violence brought about swift changes and those show more who refused to conform, or those in the nobility or ruling class, were often put to death by guillotine in a bloody public spectacle. Priests, nuns and other religious leaders were not safe from execution. This book tells the story of 16 Carmelite nuns who were condemned to die.
The story is told in the form of a fictionalized letter from a witness who was at the execution on July 17, 1794 to a friend who has fled France for safety. It is a short book - only 122 pages - but it clearly tells the story of the 16 Nuns who died for their faith.
I don't normally read religious books, but when I read a description of this novella, I really wanted to read it. It was a quick read, and I became much more engrossed in the tale than I thought I would. The title of the book comes from the fact that the Nuns sang religious hymns as they rode in a cart through the screaming crowds to their place of execution. The narrator tells the haunting story, adding that the song got quieter and quieter, until there was only one person left singing, a former initiate who had been brought to witness the executions. While the story based on real events, the initiate is a fictional character added to embody the fear and uncertainty felt by so many during the revolution.
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't really what I expected. It was more of a narrative blending fact and fiction than a true account of the executions. I did enjoy how they contrasted the solid faith of the Nuns against the unsure fears of the initiates. The initiates would have to join the order in secret, as the revolutionaries had declared that no new members could be added to any religious order. As it became apparent that staying true to their order and Catholicism could result in their martyrdom, it became a true test of faith that not all the new members would be able to handle. The mental anguish and fear really played out in the simple narrative.
When I finished the book, I had to sit for a few minutes and just think. Would I pass such a test of my own personal convictions? I'm not Catholic, but I'm not sure my faith in my beliefs could be strong enough for me to face public execution with the grace and bravery of those Nuns. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be publicly humiliated like that....to be driven through the streets in an open cart through crowds of people that are there just for the pleasure of seeing me killed for my religious beliefs. And for them to sing out songs of praise to God while going to their death. What powerful women. Even after centuries, their faith and strength still have power.
A magnificent novella. Even if you don't ascribe to any religious beliefs, it is still worth a read. A very powerful, well-written, interesting peek into the Reign of Terror.
My rating: 7/10 show less
The story is told in the form of a fictionalized letter from a witness who was at the execution on July 17, 1794 to a friend who has fled France for safety. It is a short book - only 122 pages - but it clearly tells the story of the 16 Nuns who died for their faith.
I don't normally read religious books, but when I read a description of this novella, I really wanted to read it. It was a quick read, and I became much more engrossed in the tale than I thought I would. The title of the book comes from the fact that the Nuns sang religious hymns as they rode in a cart through the screaming crowds to their place of execution. The narrator tells the haunting story, adding that the song got quieter and quieter, until there was only one person left singing, a former initiate who had been brought to witness the executions. While the story based on real events, the initiate is a fictional character added to embody the fear and uncertainty felt by so many during the revolution.
I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't really what I expected. It was more of a narrative blending fact and fiction than a true account of the executions. I did enjoy how they contrasted the solid faith of the Nuns against the unsure fears of the initiates. The initiates would have to join the order in secret, as the revolutionaries had declared that no new members could be added to any religious order. As it became apparent that staying true to their order and Catholicism could result in their martyrdom, it became a true test of faith that not all the new members would be able to handle. The mental anguish and fear really played out in the simple narrative.
When I finished the book, I had to sit for a few minutes and just think. Would I pass such a test of my own personal convictions? I'm not Catholic, but I'm not sure my faith in my beliefs could be strong enough for me to face public execution with the grace and bravery of those Nuns. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be publicly humiliated like that....to be driven through the streets in an open cart through crowds of people that are there just for the pleasure of seeing me killed for my religious beliefs. And for them to sing out songs of praise to God while going to their death. What powerful women. Even after centuries, their faith and strength still have power.
A magnificent novella. Even if you don't ascribe to any religious beliefs, it is still worth a read. A very powerful, well-written, interesting peek into the Reign of Terror.
My rating: 7/10 show less
Die letzte Begegnung is a wondrously worded novella about the supposed last meeting between the Marquise de Motespan and her formal rival for the attentions of Louis XIV, Louise de La Vallière who is now a Carmelite nun. The sparse elevated prose heightens the suspense at this meeting between two old foes who have forgotten nothing with the passing of time, even if it did cause me to resort to the dictionary a bit.
An excellent meditation on sin and grace, recommended for anyone who can show more read the German. Gertrud von le Fort is probably best known in English for [The Song at the Scaffold] about Carmelite nuns executed during the French Revolution. show less
An excellent meditation on sin and grace, recommended for anyone who can show more read the German. Gertrud von le Fort is probably best known in English for [The Song at the Scaffold] about Carmelite nuns executed during the French Revolution. show less
The story of 16 Carmelite nuns guillotined during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. Olga Marx's 1933 translation does not hold up well to the passage of time making the book less accessible to the modern reader. A fine, but one-sided, portrayal of the nuns' story, their motivation, and faith. Interesting use of a fictional character, the nun Blanche, to contrast the fear an average person would feel in this situation with the conviction and courage of these historical martyrs.
5316. The Song at the Scaffold, by Gertrud von Le Fort translated from the German by Olga Marx (read 3 Oct 2015) This is a 1931 novella based on the guillotining on July 17, 1794, of 16 Carmelites in Paris. The Reign of Terror ended a few days later--maybe by reason of the horror of seeing these unoffending sisters cruelly decapitated. The book tells of a fiercely afraid novice who flees the convent when she knew what was in store for her fellow sisters. but when they singing went to their show more deaths one by one the fleeing novice lifted her voice in song and suffered the fate of the others. This is a moving account inspired by an awful event in French history. show less
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