This chapter considers the German translations undertaken or overseen by Karl Gustav Vollmoeller (1878–1948) and the relationship that developed between him and Gabriele D’Annunzio. Vollmoeller – an archaeologist, poet, dramatist, theatrical innovator, discoverer of new talents and entrepreneur – has received little critical attention, despite his role as screenwriter for The Blue Angel, the 1930 film that made Marlene Dietrich famous, and his contribution to the discovery of Josephine Baker. Vollmoeller shared D’Annunzio's interests in theatre, classical culture and motor engines; like the Italian, he embraced the new media, especially cinema. He had a crucial role mediating the reception of D’Annunzio's works in German-speaking countries. By analysing correspondence and publishing contracts conserved in the Vittoriale archive, the Klassik Stiftung in Weimar, the Deutsches Literaturarchiv in Marbach, and the Landesarchiv in Bern, the chapter follows Vollmoeller's career as a translator, highlighting the relationship between his creative writing and translation, his experience of collaborative translation and his efforts to secure work with Max Reinhardt. Finally, it addresses the suspension of authorised translations of D’Annunzio on the eve of the First World War.

The Reception of D’Annunzio's Work in German-speaking Countries

D’Annunzio's work was first acclaimed in German-speaking countries some years before Vollmoeller's involvement, thanks to two prominent writers, Hugo von Hofmannsthal (1874–1929) and Stefan George (1868–1933), who lived in the two major centres of Germanic culture – Vienna and Berlin respectively. George had encountered D’Annunzio's writing in Symbolist poetry circles in Paris; in 1891, in Vienna, he discussed him with Hofmannsthal, who in turn introduced him to writers in the ‘Jung–Wien’ (Young Vienna) group led by Hermann Bahr (1863–1934). More formal recognition came in 1893, when George published translations of three of D’Annunzio's poems in his prestigious review Blätter für die Kunst and Hoffmansthal's article ‘Gabriele d’Annunzio’ appeared in the newspaper Frankfurter Zeitung (9 August 1893). Soon after, in December 1894 and January 1895, Bahr published a translation of the short novel Giovanni Episcopo in successive numbers of the Viennese review Die Zeit, which he founded in 1894.