From 1896 to 1910, Derleth published his first poems in the
Berlin-based arts magazine
Pan and in Stefan George's
Blätter für die Kunst.'''' In 1904 he published his
Proklamationen ("
Proclamations") which called for a reformed and reorganized
Catholicism based on a revolutionary,
Nietzschean hierarchy and "purity". Much of Derleth's early work was anti-humanistic in tone, and advocated an almost-totalitarian vision of Christianity that was both idealistic and militant in character. An updated edition of
Proklamationen was published in 1919. It is believed that fellow author
Thomas Mann's interactions with Derleth during this period inspired his 1904 short story "Beim Propheten" ("At the Prophet's"), In Derleth's later poetry, he would meditate on themes of apocalyptic war, referring to
Hitler as a "blindly raging destroyer of history's rule of peace / who attempted to fill the abyss with innumerable corpses" in
Das Sybillinische Buch ("The
Sibylline Book", written 1935-1940). He maintained friendships with Jewish peers like the playwright
Lilith Bellenson.Recurrent themes in Derleth's later poetry include violence, mysticism and
visions, nature, and
androgyny. The latter theme, alongside Derleth's close friendships with several homosexual artists and writers (including Stefan George,
André Germain, and the illustrator
Alastair) have caused some biographers to attribute bisexual or homosexual characteristics to the poet. Derleth spent 40 years completing his major work,
Der fränkische Koran ("The Franconian Qur'an"), a multi-volume documentation of Derleth's own spiritual and religious journey. Comprising over 15,000 verses, the work combines
Eastern and
Western religious themes to outline Derleth's own worldview; the work also incorporates themes from
Greco-Roman mythology, in what Derleth described as a "pilgrimage of the human soul from God to God". Derleth's other works include
Die Lebensalter ("The Ages [of Life]", 1937),
Seraphinische Hochzeit ("
Seraphinic Wedding", 1939), and
Der Tod des Thanatos ("The Death of Thanatos", 1945).
Seraphinische Hochzeit takes the form of parables about a
monk named Bruder Immerwach (literally, "Brother Ever-wake") who experiences
mystical visions; the work combines prose and rhyming poetry.
Der Tod des Thanatos, completed towards the end of Derleth's life, is largely a meditation on sin, war, and violence incorporating
Biblical themes. His complete works were compiled and edited by his widow Christine and his biographer Dominik Jost, and were republished in seven volumes as
Das Werk (1971). == References ==