Thea von Harbou

Mediador entre la "mente que crea y las manos que construyen ", Freder, único y amado hijo del Señor de Metrópolis, es el "corazón" que siente y sufre por los habitantes de la tecnológica Babel del futuro que viven al servicio de las maquinas. Rechazando la violencia de una revolucion social, Freder, con la ayuda de Maria, "Virgen" y "Madre ", ofrece a una humanidad aniquilada por el trabajo y la fatiga la posibilidad de una rescate que les permita volver a la originaria armonia entre el hombre y la naturaleza y entre el individuo y la sociedad. Publicada en 1926, Metropolis, la novela de Thea von Harbou, guionista de algunas de las peliculas mas importantes del cine aleman de los años veinte y treinta, nace como una adaptacion del guion que la propia autora habia preparado para la homonima pelicula de Fritz Lang. Incluso en su natural proximidad con el tema original y la obra maestra del director vienes, la novela de von Harbou se presenta, sin embargo, como un obra autonoma, caracterizada por una escritura visionaria, vibrante y a menudo fabulistica que logra captar los aspectos mas devastadores de la moderna sociedad industrial.

Metropolis - Thea von Harbou - The classic twentieth-century science fiction novel by the screenwriter of the Fritz Lang film, the famed directors wife and collaborator.A divided twenty-first-century city sets the stage for this novel of a future dystopia. While the wealthy live in a decadent playground of sex and drugs, workers toil underground operating the machines that keep the city running.When Freder, the son of the leader of Metropolis, sees the horrific conditions the workers are exposed to, he becomes disillusioned with his fathers vision and captivated by a woman named Maria who is fighting for unity among the classes. Desperate to maintain the status quo, Freders father unleashes a robot that looks like Maria to wreak suspicion and doubt and crush the rebellion, a move that puts Freder and the real Marias loveand livesat risk."The language of the novel is sometimes as thesauric as Shiel, as kaleidoscopic as Merritt, as bone-spare as Ray Bradbury, as poetic as Poe, as macabre as Machen. . . . You will have an experience in reading that will last you all the rest of your life." Forrest J. Ackerman, editor of Spacemen magazine"The movies status as one of the great dystopian science fiction tales is secure. Thea von Harbous novel deserves to be recognized as an important work of science fiction in its own right. Its also a relatively rare and therefore interesting example of German science fiction." Vintage Pop Fictions"The latent power of the story seems clearer in prose. You can see more clearly the contrast of past and present, of magic and technology, of gods and gadgetry." Black Gate

In Metropolis, Thea von Harbou conjures a spellbinding futuristic cityscape where dazzling skyscrapers tower above a hidden realm of relentless labor and social inequality. The story is set in a technologically advanced city, which is sustained by the existence of an exploited class of labourers who live underground, far away from the gleaming surface world. Freder, the son and heir of Joh Fredersen, one of the citys founders, falls in love with Maria, a girl from the underground. Their romance takes place against the growing threat of civil war between the labourers and the armies of the founders, and the question of whether a lasting peace can be found.The novel follows the tense intersection of powerful industrialists, visionary inventors, and the marginalized workforce striving to break free from their unforgiving circumstances. Rich with the essence of early science fiction, Metropolis immerses readers in a world defined by grand technological dreams and equally vast human struggles. Von Harbous prose weaves together themes of ambition, justice, and the potential consequences of unchecked progress, forming a layered commentary on class divisions and the cost of utopian ideals. Her striking imagery and nuanced characters demonstrate how fragile order can become when technology outpaces compassion. Over the decades, Metropolis has cemented its place as a groundbreaking work that not only influenced the genres aesthetics but also sparked enduring debates about the kind of future society should strive to create.

"Denken Sie doch, zwei starke, derbe, widerborstige Wildlingein Hut zu haben, die man pflegen und ziehen und veredeln darf, bis es zwei gesunde, verheiungsvolle Baumchen sind, diekostliche Frucht tragen sollen - ist das nicht wundervoll?"(Thea von Harbou, In einem Zuge, 1909)Thea von Harbou ist u.a. bekannt als Autorin von Metropolis, Drehbuchautorin von "M - Eine Stadt sucht ihren Morder" und ihrer Ehe mit dem Regisseur Fritz Lang aber auch als Kriegsbuchautorin. Jedoch kennt kaum einer ihre verschollenen, fruhen Werke. Nachdem es mir gelungen ist, diese aus den tiefen der vielen Tages-, Wochen- oder Monatszeitschriften zu bergen, war es immer mein Wunsch, sie als Herausgeber wieder allen einfach zuganglich zu machen.Im zweiten Teil geht es um kleine Episoden zum Schmunzeln, Weihnachtsgeschichten, aber auch um eine atemberaubende Autofahrt sowie um Erzahlungen, die zu Kriegszeiten bzw. in der Kolonialzeit handeln. Aber es findet sich auch ein bisher noch unbekannter kurzer Roman.

Thea von Harbou ist u.a. bekannt als Autorin von Metropolis, Drehbuchautorin von "M - Eine Stadt sucht ihren Morder" und ihrer Ehe mit dem Regisseur Fritz Lang aber auch als Kriegsbuchautorin bekannt. Aber kaum einer kennt ihr verschollenes, fruhes Werk. Nachdem es mir gelungen ist, dieses aus den tiefen der vielen Tages-, Wochen- oder Monatszeitschriften zu bergen, war es immer mein Wunsch, dieses als Herausgeber wieder allen einfach zuganglich zu machen.70 Jahre nach ihrem Tod und fast 120 Jahre, seit die ersten Erzahlungen erschienen, fuhrt dieses Buch durch ihre Sicht der Frau uber Liebe, Treue, Heldentum in viele Kulturen und Gesellschaften. Der Weg geht uber zufallige Begegnungen, trotzige Abweisungen, Herausforderungen, aber immer . . . zum Herz.

Metropolis is a novel by the German writer Thea von Harbou. The story is set in 2026 in a technologically advanced city, which is sustained by the existence of an underground society of labourers. The son of one of the citys founders falls in love with a girl from the underground society, as the two societies begin to clash due to the lack of a unifying force. The novel was the basis for Fritz Langs 1927 film Metropolis. The novel was serialised in the magazine Illustriertes Blatt in 1925, accompanied by screenshots from the upcoming film adaptation. It was published in book form in 1926 by August Scherl. An English translation was published in 1927. Michael Joseph of The Bookman wrote about the novel: "It is a remarkable piece of work, skilfully reproducing the atmosphere one has come to associate with the most ambitious German film productions. Suggestive in many respects of the dramatic work of Karel Capek and of the earlier fantastic romances of H. G. Wells, in treatment it is an interesting example of expressionist literature. ... Metropolis is one of the most powerful novels I have read and one which may capture a large public both in America and England if it does not prove too bewildering to the plain reader."

This is Metropolis, the novel that the films screenwriter -- Thea von Harbou, who was director Fritz Langs wife, and a collaborator in the creation of the film -- this is the novel that Harbou wrote from her own notes. It contains bits of the story that got lost on the cutting-room floor; in a very real way it is the only way to understand the film.

METRÓPOLIS, de Thea Von Harbour, igual que la famosísima adaptación cinematrográfica que de la novela hizo Fritz Lang, en aquella época esposo de la escritora, se ha considerado siempre una obra de ciencia ficcion a causa de un futurismo que, en realidad, constituye la ambientacion y no lo sustancial de la obra. Por encima de eso, Metropolis, tanto en su version literaria como cinematrografica, es una verdadera parabola poetica del ser del hombre, que queda expresado la sentencia inicial: "El mediador entre el cerebro y las manos tiene que ser el corazon"