[The Gray Cloth: Paul Scheerbart's novel on Glass architecture] Originally subtitled; and ten percent white a ladies novel.
“On one of the British Fiji Islands, Herr Krug was to build a convalescence home for elderly air chauffeurs” is the first sentence of one of the sections of this novel which has more of a feel of an extended essay. Herr Krug and his new wife travel around on their luxury airship from one destination to another. Her Krug is an architect passionate about coloured glass architecture and his fame has put him on the map for rich people and corporations who wish to create something different using Krug’s expertise. This is the world of the super rich in the mid 20th century as imagined by Paul Scheerbart writing in 1914. it is a visionary world and the book has a heady atmosphere as we travel with the Krugs and follow this artistic but business orientated couple's first year of marriage.

The Gray Cloth is in many ways a peculiar vision, but one that is not too difficult to foresee. It is rooted in unbounded capitalism and artistic achievement but carried to such extreme lengths that its irony becomes immediately apparent. This is a world with it’s head in the clouds and Scheerbarts text heightens that feeling with its short spacious sentences that play around the glass buildings like the beams of light they describe. Characters express themselves in short bursts of speech, as though they are frightened of interrupting the flow of Scheerbarts paean to coloured glass architecture. There is hardly any plot or storyline because this too might create a divergence from the fragile world of glass that hovers around a world that seems to be a plaything of the rich.

The book is almost a triumph of style over content, highlighted by one of its major themes: the peculiar but so fitting marriage contract. Herr Krug is attending an exhibition of silver work, which is being displayed in a building created by the architect. The exhibits take second place to the marvels of coloured light that are created by the glass architecture, the crowd in attendance we are told by Scheerbart are entranced by the design and technical achievements but Herr Krug almost sympathetically buys one of the expensive silver pieces for sale. He has lunch in the penthouse restaurant with his lawyer, the artist and her friend: fraulein Clara Weber a noted organ player:

“Then Herr Krug lifted a piece of pike liver up in the air and commented to Fräulein Clara Weber:
‘My most gracious lady, would you be prepared to live your whole life wearing only grey clothing - with ten percent white.’
He ate his piece of pike liver, and Miss Amanda whispered very softly:
‘That sounds like a marriage proposal’
‘That is what it is’ said the architect.
Fräulein Clara said very simply:
‘Yes!’
‘That I find’ said the lawyer to be a little hasty - and a little careless’ “

Having made his comment the lawyer immediately gets down to business and draws up the marriage contract. Clara must wear grey clothing with ten percent white at all times so as not to detract from Her Krug’s coloured glass architecture. She is in fact to provide a contrast to the world in which she will now live. Her Krug is clear that ladies should be more discreet in their outfits so as not to be a distraction from the glass architecture and Clara will lead the way. The Lawyer thinks this a little pretentious and warns Her Krug he should temper his lust for power a bit. Clara keeps to her contract; much to the dismay of her artistic friends, but she chafes against it at times, providing the interest in a will she/wont she theme that runs through the novel, but style and fashion are all important in this future world, there is hardly anything else and because the reader is caught up in this atmosphere of extreme pretentiousness the irony hits home.

Paul Scheerbart worked as a journalist in Berlin and this book published at the start of the First World War carries and identifies itself with the ideas of German expressionism. It is a subjective portrait of society, art and fashion based on vision and atmosphere rather than reality. It was not a great success at the time but has since been recognised as worthy of being re-examined in the light other works in the expressionist movement.

I enjoyed the read, its unique atmosphere, its irony and its humour kept me entertained. The descriptive writing has qualities that enhance the poetic mood of the book and the technical architectural ideas are presented in a simple easily understandable; if fantastic way. This edition was published by MIT press and has been introduced and translated by John A Stuart, who has also included some pastel drawings which are meant to challenge the reader to consider complex spatial configurations inspired by Scheerbarts narrative. I am not sure they quite do this, but they do enhance a beautifully presented book. A thing of somewhat ephemeral beauty, but beauty nonetheless and so 4 stars. ( )