Evening star., 1962-12-30

LucIlOlGy IhSClIldteS US. AS III
world appears on Lou Salome's
stage. but Beerbohm was
writing fiction, Lou was max
ing history. Nietzsche, Rilke,
Freud, Elizabeth Forster
Nietzsche, Paul Rec, Wede-
kind. Ibsen (off-stage), Toll
stoy, Wagner, Hauptmann,
Weizacker, Pasternak, Buber
all are dramatis perSonGe
Of Louis drama, many Of
them in leading roles, and
most Of these great individ-
ualists appear as foils to Lou
herself.
Lou Salome was born in
1861 in st. Petersburg, the
daughter Of a Russian gen.
eral who was a devout Lu-
theran. In her teens she met
Hendrix Gillot, pastor of the
Dutch Embassy in st. Peters,
burg. Gillot did little to
establish or confirm any reli-
gious convictions in LOUIS
breast, but he did see her a
girl Of extraordinary intelli-
gence, and instructed her in
literature and philosophy.
The 37-year-old minister was
mot insensitive to feminine
charm although" as Mr..
Peters remarks murkily "he
was married and the father
of two teen-age daughters"
If, for Lou, Gillot became a
substitute for God, for the
preacher Lou was a desirable
object for q second wife, and
he made secret preparations
to that end. But neither Lou
nor her family would have
him.
After the death Of her
father, Lou and her mother
went to Zurich, where Lou
in 1880 enrolled in courses
Of history, philosophy and
literature at the university.
She was a beautiful and mag
netic girl and also one Of
unusual intellectual aptitude.
One can no more doubt the
sincerity of the attestations Of
the men, young and old, who
knew her at this time to
her brilliance both as talker
and listener than one can
doubt the sincerity of the
same men when they speak
of their emotional captiva-
ton. Among those who fell
in love with her were the
philosopher Nietzsche and his
friend Paul Rec. Nietzsche
was, in 1882, at the height
of his powers as an aphoris-
tic and profound reshaper Of
all worldly and spiritual val
ues. 1t is with a catch in
the throat that one reads
babbling love-letters written
almost simultaneously with
Human. All Too Human
and by the same writer. Wis
ual evidence of a kind sell
dom to be found Of climac-
tic moments in the lives of
great men of the past is seen
in a photograph - certainly
one of the most interesting
in the history of the cam
era-taken in a photograph
er's studio in Lucerne. 1t
shows Nietzsche, with a dazed
and perhaps seraphic express
sion on his face, and Paul
Rec both roped to a cart In
which Lou Salome stands
with a drivers whip. The
dramatic tableau was ar
ranged by Nietzsche himself,
who apparently liked the pic
ture so much that he used his
head from 1t as a studio
photograph - one that has
established the Nietzsche
image in the mind Of
posterity.
It was Lou who proposed
a mendge a trots with Me
tzsche and Rec. CBut what
is Mr.. Peters authority for
this attribution2 Through
out his book he cites ref
erences in his notes to state
ments in his text the
sources Of which are more
or less self-evident, but time
after time he exasperates the
reader by leaving the most
crucial. lurid, or breath-tak-
ing statements entirely un-
supported) II was not con-
summated, but the three ira
veled together and Lou later
lived with Rec in Berlin. She
also visited Nietzsche in
Trautenburg, much to the
disgust of the philosophers
sister, who then and to the
end of her life was her
brothers keeper, self ap-
pointed, incapable, untrust-
worthy, and disdainful Of as
sistance, except possibly from
Adolf Hitler. Nietzsche was
madly In love with Lou. Their
relationship had a deepen
ing and maturing effect on
both individuals. preparing
the philosopher for the po-
etic splendor that costumes
"Zarathustra." written
shortly afterwards, and the
girl for psychiatric insight
that was later TO become for
NAL and serviceable under
the guidance OF Freud.
Nietzsche wanted 10 marry
Lou. but she. devoured by her
sense OF emancipation and
personal freedom. refused
and left him. II am faithful
to memories forever. I shall
never be faithful 10 men"
she wrote later.
But at last she did marry.
In 1887 she met Friedrich
Andreas. q professor Of Per-
sian languages and literature.
He. like every other man
..,t.n o,aaaad hn, ,.ath In,yad