Hallo,
um mal etwas tiefer in die „Geschichte
hinter der Geschichte“ zu kommen, habe ich mal den Briefwechsel
Wandreis mit Lovecraft durchsucht und bin zu folgendem Ergebnis
gekommen:
Zum ersten Mal erwähnt Wandrei Dead
Titans Waken in einem Brief vom 09.09.1929: „and am now working on
a story of age-old horror.“ (Letters with Donald Wandrei, S. 231).
Hier nennt er den Text noch nicht beim Namen, doch an Hand von Joshis
Fußnoten wird klar, dass er sich auf Dead Titans bezieht.
In einem Brief vom 26.06.1930 erwähnt
Wandrei erneut seine Arbeit an dem Text, wenn er schreibt: „At
present I am hard at working on a novel, tentatively entitled „Dead
Titans Waken: A Mystery of Time and Spirit“. As the title probably
suggests, it is a romance of terror and horror, commencing near the
locale of Stonehenge and concluding on Easter Island.This is the
novel which I began in New York last summer, and which I mentioned to
you at the time.The novel has great possibilities, if I can
succesfully achieve a rather stupendous feat in handling so long
work. I have many incentives to keep me at it – the sheer pleasure
of creating, my father´s failing health, neccessity of improving my
financial condition, and the interest of some three publishers who
express their willingness to consider the novel when completed. With
time, energy, and a little luck, I may be able to complete it by the
early part of August“ (Letters with Donald Wandrei, S. 241).
In einem Brief vom 27.Oktober 1930
schreibt Wandrei an Lovecraft: „My novel was completely halted,
first by my father´s serious operation, then by two minor operations
on my throat, then by reopening of University where I am spending the
second of three years in quest of two degrees: M.A. And Ph.D.
Nevertheless, the novel is more than three-quarters done, and shall
be completed either during my Christmas vacation, or at the end of
the school year. In the meantime, a chapter from it, slightly
changed, appears as „Something from Above“ in the forthcomming
W.T. [Weird Tales] I may add that the entire last two sections,
comprising about one-half the story, where added on because Wright
wanted a more definite ending. If you omit these, you will see the
story much more as it was intendet to be (Letters with Donald
Wandrei, S. 248).“ In einer Fußnote gibt Joshi an, dass die
angegebene Geschichte keine Ähnlichkeit mit irgendeiner Passage des
Romans aufweist.
Es folgt eine Erwähnung im Brief vom
20.04.1931 an Lovecraft:
„My Novel, „Dead Titans Awaken“,
should be completed by July or so of this year, and will be
illustrated by Howard [Wandrei, Donalds Bruder]. I have not worked on
it since last fall, because my duties at school for which I receive
slightly more than bread and butter have occupied all my time, but
there is not a great deal left to be written on it.“ (Letters with
Donald Wandrei, S. 262)
Am 06.01.1932 sendet Wandrei sein nach
zweitägiger Arbeit korrigiertes Romanmanuskript an Lovecraft zu
Kritik, worauf dieser die Bemerkungen schreibt:
„This novel really strikes its finest
stride with Chap. VI – the decent into the earth – though of
cause the earlier „Fragment of a Dream“ is of equal power.“
(Letters with Donald Wandrei, S. 279f.)
Es folgen detallierte Anmerkungen und
Verbesserungsvorschläge zu der Erzählung.
In einem Brief vom 08.03.1932 schrieb
Lovecraft: „The novel as a whole is a great piece of work, &
Klarkash-Ton [Clark Ashton Smith] echoed my praise when it reached
him – so for that matter did Augustulus Gulielmus [August William
Derleth]. I certainly hope it will find a market in time, wheather in
approximately its present form or in the ultimately remodelled shape
you contemplate.“ (Letters with Donald Wandrei, S. 284)
Am 19.10.1932 teilt Lovecraft Wandrei
sein Bedauern für eine Ablehnung von Dead Titans mit. (Letters with
Donald Wandrei, S. 295) Leider ist der vorangegangene Brief nicht
erhalten, so dass nicht bekannt ist, wann genau und wem Wandrei den
Roman angeboten hatte.