George Saiko
George Saiko was an influential Austrian writer and art curator, born on February 5, 1892, in Seestadtl, Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. He initially considered a military career but shifted his focus to the humanities, studying at the University of Vienna. After graduating, he relocated to Paris to delve into art and began contributing to journals, primarily on modern art. His first novel, "Auf dem Floss," written in 1938, faced publication delays due to the political climate as Nazi forces annexed Austria. During World War II, Saiko served as curator of graphic arts at the Albertina Museum, where he played a crucial role in safeguarding its collections from Nazi and Soviet threats.
In his later years, Saiko devoted himself to literature, publishing his second novel in 1955 and two volumes of short stories in 1962, shortly before his death. His writing often intertwined themes of historical significance with psychological insights influenced by Sigmund Freud. Saiko is also noted for popularizing "magical realism," a literary style that merges reality with elements of fantasy. Despite his contributions to European literature, much of his work remains untranslated into English. The Austrian Literary Archives houses many of his writings, aiming to enhance the recognition of his literary legacy.
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Subject Terms
George Saiko
Fiction Writer
- Born: February 5, 1892
- Birthplace: Seestadtl, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic)
- Died: December 23, 1962
- Place of death: Rekawinkel, Austria
Biography
Georg Emmanuel Saiko was born in Seestadtl, Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), on February 5, 1892. As a young man, he thought about a military career, but instead he enrolled in the University of Vienna where he studied humanities. After graduating from college, he moved to Paris, where he studied art and began writing for several journals. Most of these pieces were about modern art.
Saiko finished his first novel, Auf dem Floss (on the raft), in 1938, just as the Nazis were annexing Austria. As a result, Saiko’s novel was not published until ten years later. During World War II, he took a job as curator of graphic arts at the Albertina Museum in Vienna. Saiko was responsible for saving the museum’s collections from falling into the hands of the Nazis and later from the occupying Soviet Army. He resigned his post after a dispute with the Austrian government.
After the war, Saiko began his literary career in earnest, despite being nearly sixty years old at the time. His second novel was published in 1955. Also, Saiko published two volumes of short stories in 1962, the year of his death. The second of these volumes contains his last published work, “Die Badewanne” (the bathtub).
Saiko was heavily influenced by his atmosphere. Many of his books were set in Austria and reflected the political turmoil of the time. Saiko was also heavily influenced by the works of Freud. Freud’s influence lent Saiko’s work a darkly thematic aura. It is apparent in many of his works Saiko that believed strongly in Freud’s concept of self. Saiko’s themes tend to combine historical issues of his era with the issues of Freud’s consciousness.
Prior to his death in December, 1962, Saiko was awarded the Great Austrian State Prize for his contributions to Austrian literature. He is credited as well with adopting the art term “magical realism” to a form of writing that juxtaposes realism with fantasy, myths, and dreams. Although Saiko was an important writer in Europe, much of his work has not been translated into English.
The Austrian Literary Archives possess a large amount of Saiko’s work, including his literary works and writings on the history of art, private letters and correspondence with publishing houses, photos on art history, and magazine materials. The Austrian Literary Archives is striving to analyze and present Saiko’s work in many different areas and to make his work more widely appreciated.