Diana

Diana by Emil Ludwig is a novel written in the early 20th century. It centers on a fiercely independent, alluring woman whose freedom and magnetism redirect the lives of the men who love and pursue her. Following Diana and those drawn into her orbit—Andreas the poet, his clear-eyed friend Nikolai, Major Felix, her brother Sidney, and the calculating publisher Scherer—the story moves from an intimate lake-island idyll into the broader currents of European society, journalism, and politics. The opening of the novel begins on a small island, where the poet Andreas awaits Diana’s return, only to find a letter in which she departs at dawn, blessing their love and forbidding pursuit. At her behest, his friend Nikolai arrives to steady him; the two wander the gardens and debate Diana’s spirit and Andreas’s urge to swap poetry for action and even diplomacy. Alone, Andreas broods as his dog Othello keeps vigil. The scene shifts to Milan, where Diana, using an alias, takes a multilingual job in a newspaper office and impresses the formidable publisher Scherer. A night at Carmen reunites her with her elegant brother Sidney and with Major Felix, a former lover; over supper Felix proposes, but she refuses, insisting on freedom, while Scherer quietly studies her. Soon white carnations and letters are exchanged, and Scherer probes her background, contemplating a Balkan-related mission for her. The section closes at a political club dinner where Scherer spars with the foreign minister about eastern policy, signaling the novel’s blend of intimate passion with public power.

Diana, by Emil Ludwig. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #77479.