Lou Andreas-Salomé

If I hadn't stumbled across the film "Love the Philosopher", I might not have had the chance to know Salome.

The deeper I get to know her, the more I feel that the evaluation left by history is biased.

If she lived now, she would often appear in hot spots in Weibo. What charm do you have to be the muse of so many talents?

All these have to start with Salome's background, birth environment and family education.

Salome was born in a noble family in Russia, and her father was a particularly appreciated general. When Salome was born, the tsar sent a handwritten congratulatory letter. From this detail, we can see that Salome's family must belong to the upper class, and such a growing environment will inevitably make Salome have a higher vision from an early age.

It was a turbulent time, and the book wrote that on the sixth day of Salome's birth, a great event happened in Russia-Tsar Alexander II signed a decree abolishing the agricultural system. This marks the beginning of modern Russia.

But turmoil also means drastic changes and new ideas. At that time, Salome, as an energetic young man, was unconsciously inspired by it and incited with other students to participate in political movements.

When Salome was at school, she experienced the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. At that time, many Russian students took to the streets to celebrate the event. This incident has brought great influence to Salome; Salome herself recalled in the book:

"I began to think that these girls just used learning as a political excuse to go abroad, and then found a foreigner to marry. But I was completely wrong. The goal of these young girls is to establish a new social system and usher in a better society. "

This growing experience has a great influence on Salome.

The first is the power that women can generate, and women can also go out and transform society.

The second is that in everyone's life, we strive to obey the life around us and obey those judgments and norms. But these judgments and norms can be broken. In young people, we often call this kind of emotion "rebellion".

Salome's family growth atmosphere is also free, and the relationship between Salome and her parents is a relatively free expression and has not been severely suppressed. To some extent, this means that Salome can keep herself and follow others, which has a lot to do with her later independent personality.

When Salome was in primary school, there was a little thing that was particularly fulfilling.

"We only speak German at home. After several compulsory Russian classes, I complained that I still found it difficult to learn Russian well. Dad suddenly decided to let me sit in on the Russian class. Dad said to his mother, "girls can't write Russian, so the problem won't be great." "

In this free growing environment, Salome, her father and her three brothers have always maintained a warm and trusting relationship.

Her father and three brothers have a great influence on Salome, which makes her have many male characteristics, which is why Salome can associate with excellent men.

Salome and Kilo

Everyone's adolescence is a transition period for the body to mature. During this period, the initial strength of life itself will reach a new compromise after chaos reaches a certain stage.

This stage appeared in Salome's teens and twenties. At that time, she was in a period of religious confusion.

In Russian society at that time, almost every family was religious. Salome family is no exception. Every family will have its own pastor, and everyone will follow this pastor to learn the teachings and accept the teachings of God.

Salome, as a child, has no discrimination. Like other children, she accepted everything her parents believed without a doubt. For Salome, it is only natural that God appears in the world like magic. Influenced by her parents' beliefs, Salome naturally absorbed those religious beliefs.

But when Salome was seventeen, she gradually began to struggle with her original beliefs.

Just like the second time I was thrown into this world, I had an irreconcilable conflict with reality.

Whenever the priest preaches "God is everywhere", Salome is in great pain and cries out in her heart: Where is God? How to confirm faith?

The irreconcilable impulse in her heart made Salome decide to quit the church at home. For Salome, who was born in a Russian aristocratic family, quitting teaching is very controversial. In the opinion of public opinion in the upper class, this incident is an insult to the family and a disrespect for religious parents. Salome is at the forefront of life.

It is in this chaotic state that the first important man in Salome's life-Kilot appeared in her life.

One day, Salome was walking in the street when she came to the door of a church. At this moment, a voice came from the distant pulpit. Salome involuntarily pushed open the door of the church, walked slowly to the altar and made a gesture in front.

She clearly saw the priest-personable and eloquent. In his cadence, accompanied by his gestures, Salome seems to have found her way back to God.

Salome recalled that this is the person I am looking for! My loneliness finally has an end! I believe this man can save me from loneliness.

Kilot was a Dutch missionary in Petersburg at that time. He is avant-garde, well-read and experienced. He believes that Christian belief not only transcends science, but also does not contradict science. This made Kilott respected in the upper class, and even listening to his sermon became a social activity.

In the following days, Gillot took care of Salome like a father. In addition to religious theology, Kilo also taught Salome philosophy, such as Kant, Rousseau, Voltaire, Schopenhauer, Spinoza and so on. Their philosophical works made Salome realize that people can find the meaning of life in philosophy.

Salome found herself in love with Kilot, just as she loved her father. Kilot replaced the God who disappeared in Salome's heart, and it was a copy of the image of God in Salome's childhood. In this sense, he is almost unreal, as if there is a halo on his head.

But this worship of Kilot was quickly broken. Kilot decided to give up his family and propose to Salome.

At that moment, Salome felt that she had fallen from the sky to the ground, and the halo on Kilott's head disappeared. The lover suddenly disappeared like God.

She recalled this passage in the book and wrote:

When I was sure that I couldn't put my love into any real man, I began to understand the position of God in my heart. Perhaps from the beginning, my love was not aimed at mediocrity, but at some symbolic image with almost religious significance.

Salome turned down Kilot's proposal of marriage. The love for Kilot also suddenly ended. Salome seems to be relieved, but this time it is different from the pain she felt when God disappeared as a child. Kilo is completely real, and his influence on Salome helped her find inner freedom.

Salome, Paul and Nietzsche

1880, 19-year-old Salome came to study at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, majoring in religion, philosophy, linguistics and art history.

/kloc-in Europe in the 0 th and 9 th centuries, most universities will not accept girls. Salome's Swiss university is actually the only one that accepts female students. Salome especially cherished this opportunity and studied very hard, so that she suffered from physical problems and tuberculosis, and had to suspend her studies and go to Rome with her mother to cultivate herself.

On the recommendation of a university professor, she met an excellent woman in Rome, Mrs. Marvida.

Madame Marvida was very appealing in Rome, and her living room was almost the exchange center of European intellectuals at that time. A large number of outstanding philosophers, thinkers, artists and poets will gather in Mrs. Malvida's home to talk about their opinions in a high-profile way.

In Mrs. Malvida's salon, Salome found that both ideological quality and thinking ability of men were significantly higher than those of women. This may be because most women at that time had not left home, didn't know much about the outside world, and didn't want to do those meaningless thoughts about their lives.

It is precisely because of this that Salome is more willing to associate with men and communicate with men. It was in this living room of Mrs. Malvida that Salome had the opportunity to meet Paul and Nietzsche, two very important figures.

Salome met Paul for the first time. Salome has a natural affection for Paul and thinks that this knowledgeable, kind and gentle person can protect himself like his brother. After a brief encounter, the two men soon became familiar with each other and talked about various topics. Regular salon activities have ended, and before they have enjoyed themselves, they walk together on the streets of Rome in the moonlight and continue to talk.

Getting along with Paul reminds Salome of a beautiful plan that is a bit utopian:

In this plan, there is a studio facing the sea with a big table inside. Salome and several male friends are discussing something around the table, having a heated discussion and laughing happily for a while. At the same time, there are several bedrooms in this studio. Everyone lives in one, and everyone is like sisters.

Salome is very excited. She told Paul the plan, but Paul seemed a little at a loss. He said: the purpose of men's association with women is not only for friendship, but also for other reasons.

Paul, who was upset, finally couldn't help it one day. He came to Salome and her mother's house and proposed to her in front of Salome's mother.

This made Salome feel overwhelmed, helpless and angry. Although he likes Paul very much, this is not the love life she wants.

Salome was once troubled by this proposal. Both her mother and Mrs. Malvida thought it was a good choice to marry Paul, but Salome insisted that she did not intend to enter a marriage without any retreat.

She wrote in the book like this:

My freedom has just arrived, and I am not afraid to fight for it with piety, happiness and hard work. On the contrary, I want freedom to come! Let's see if those so-called insurmountable obstacles really appear in most people's lives.

In fact, Salome is puzzled why men and women can't be friends except as husband and wife lovers.

In this difficult situation, Paul discussed with Mrs. Malvida and invited Nietzsche to Rome to introduce him to Salome. In this way, the philosopher Nietzsche entered Salome's life.

The first meeting between Nietzsche and Salome was very dramatic. In the book, Salome commented on it like this:

"One morning, at St. Peter's Church, Nietzsche suddenly appeared in front of me. The first thing Nietzsche said to me was: From which planet did we fall here together? "

Nietzsche was also surprised at Salome's first sight. He said, "Salome is an extremely clever person I know." "Someone who can conquer a person's soul in an instant."

Salome and Nietzsche have a very important similarity. They all "lost God" when they were very young.

This is Nietzsche's most famous question:

Nietzsche said, "That's how my adventure began. They're not over. Where will they take me? Where will I venture? What will happen if I don't return to my original faith? Will I find a new faith? "

It can also be seen from this detail that the focus or foundation of Salome's thinking seems to be about the disappearance of God in childhood. Based on this, we can better understand why she attaches so much importance to establishing spiritual connection with people around her in her life.

To some extent, Salome actually has a strong modernity. She is a hundred years ahead of her time, and even from the present point of view, she should be very suitable for this society.

Let's go back to the story.

Salome and Nietzsche talked about everything with mutual appreciation, including religion, morality, family, love, marriage and even sexual relations. Salome was immersed in this spiritual exchange and could not extricate herself.

But gradually, Nietzsche's affection for Salome became more and more obvious. This kind of affection has gone beyond the relationship between friends and teachers and students.

The book says: Nietzsche once tentatively asked Paul: Salome is a great woman. Why don't you marry her?

Paul said, Oh, I'm a pessimist. When I think about the secular life of having children, I worry that I can't take care of myself. You'd better marry her. She is your ideal partner.

So Nietzsche told Mrs. Malvida that Salome made him feel a long-lost happiness. Please ask Mrs. Malvida to convey his thoughts to Salome.

However, Salome refused again.

From the rejection of these two marriage proposals, I can already feel the contradiction in Salome. On the one hand, she pursues her soul and spiritual destination, and she needs friends like Paul and Nietzsche. On the other hand, she always pursues absolute independence in life with a confrontational attitude.

Strangely, in Salome's autobiography, she seldom mentioned her feelings, but only stated a fact. As readers, in the process of reading, we actually can't feel the pain of Salome in this contradiction.

Looking at the background of that era. At that time, Europe was also a time when the old tradition was facing challenges. This atmosphere of the times inspires a whole generation to engage in the creation of literature and philosophy, and also provides a good opportunity for those women who pursue women's liberation to explore their own personality. Questioning the essence of tradition and looking for a new way of life have become the focus of that generation of women.

Paul told Nietzsche about the plan, and Nietzsche actually agreed and wanted to participate. So this three-person alliance was formally established. After the establishment, the three of them began to travel.

There are two chapters in the book about this part, and the context is not so clear. But there are two things that deserve our attention, which can be said to be the key events to promote the development of the relationship between the three people.

After leaving Rome, they passed through northern Italy. There, there is a mountain called Sa Cumont. Salome decided to take a walk with Nietzsche. The two of them walked hand in hand on a quiet road with few people, chatting about endless topics. Salome even thought: If this person doesn't talk about marriage, we can talk like this for life.

They talked from day to night, which was the first time Salome and Nietzsche had been dating alone for so long. Nietzsche, who became interested, also wrote a poem called How Happy I am. Nietzsche also said, "That was the most wonderful dream in my life. I feel a few years younger. Thank you very much for that.

In this book, Salome only vaguely wrote: This time alone, I have a deeper understanding of Nietzsche's talent. Our relationship has obviously taken a step forward. This also created an illusion for Nietzsche. In fact, on the mountain, I expressed my affection for him more because his whimsy filled me with curiosity than just the attraction between men and women.

After reading these, I believe everyone will be as curious as me. What is an "intimate expression"? This matter has become a mystery, and no one knows what happened except the parties concerned.

During this trip, another interesting thing happened. The trip of the three-person alliance came to a city called Lucerne, where there was a photo studio. It is said that photographers are very famous, and many people from other cities will come here to take a photo.

Nietzsche made a suggestion, or three people can take a photo together! Paul was a little reluctant, but he didn't refuse and reluctantly joined.

Nietzsche was very interested. He got started by himself and arranged the background and props of the scene. This is the most famous photo in history: Salome squatted in the carriage, waving a whip, Nietzsche stood by, holding the shaft, and Paul stood in the middle with an unnatural expression.

This photo of the three-person alliance soon spread in the social circle at that time, and everyone had a lot of discussion and speculation about this photo. A few months later, in Nietzsche's book Zarathustra says, there is a sentence: When you go to find a woman, don't forget to bring your whip!

Later, many people thought this sentence was an interpretation of that photo.

There are also two extreme views on this sentence.

Some people think that this sentence is obviously a contempt for women, while others interpret it as clearly conveying Nietzsche's humble feelings for the goddess, which Salome refused.

Let's see what Salome said in the book:

What exactly is Nietzsche's creativity? Is he willing to accept my drive, or is he going to control women with a whip? Or should I wave a whip to drive one of them away? It's hard to guess what's going on in the philosopher's mind, perhaps only he knows best.

But one thing is certain, Nietzsche loves Salome. They have similar philosophical speculation, and this kind of confidant and tacit understanding was actually very rare at that time.

Nietzsche once mentioned Salome in a letter to Mrs. Malvida: "I still miss her even if there are some bad things in her personality." You can get something useful from every conversation. I've never met anyone who has no prejudice against my problems like her. She is always so insightful and ready to talk. "

Let's go back to the itinerary of the three-person alliance in the book.

Further getting along makes Salome realize that there are essential differences between herself and Nietzsche. The starting point of their philosophical thoughts is the same, but the gloomy Nietzsche is very pessimistic, and the painful outlook on life makes Salome a little unacceptable.

She began to reflect on herself: "Are we really close? No, we're not close enough. Deep down in our nature, we are still very different ... it's strange. I suddenly had a strong idea some time ago that Nietzsche and I might become enemies. "

This premonition later became a reality. The deepening estrangement separated Salome and Nietzsche, and they could never find the feeling of being in Rome in spring. The trip of the three-person alliance ended at a railway station in Leipzig, and Nietzsche sent Salome away.

When the train started slowly, Nietzsche clearly knew that it was farewell and she would never come back.

After leaving Salome, Nietzsche never fell in love with another woman.

Since then, another member of the trio, Paul salome, has been living together with him in a harmonious and simple way.

Salome and Andreas

1in the summer of 886, the story took a turning point, and the appearance of a person completely broke Salome's insistence on independence.

This man is Salome's husband Andrias. Andre Yass BisSalome, 15 years old, professor of linguistics.

When we first met, Salome opened the door for Andreas, and a handsome and unreal man stood in front of her. She was a little overwhelmed at the time. Andreas fell in love with her at first sight and made up his mind to marry her.

As we said before, Salome once rejected the marriage proposal of three people, namely, Kilott, Nietzsche and Paul, and she had no yearning for marriage.

But this time, Salome accepted Andrias's proposal. What happened? Will there be such a change?

In this book, Salome recalls:

I have never seen him pursue such a wild way. This man pursued me enthusiastically, which made me feel a different taste. When I first met him, I felt an indescribable magic, as if something was bound to happen.

One night, Andrias came to Salome's residence. At first, he chatted as usual. After chatting, he began to argue about the date of marriage. He picked up the knife he carried with him and stabbed himself in the chest.

Salome was so frightened that she rushed into the street and went door to door looking for a surgeon. Fortunately, Andrias is very strong, the knife didn't go deep into his chest, and there is still a little distance from his heart. The relationship between the two of them began to make progress because of this incident. Soon, in the month of 1886, Salome and Andreas got engaged.

However, Salome put forward two conditions. What are they?

First of all, their marriage can't destroy her feelings and ties with Paul.

Second, their marriage can only have the name of husband and wife, not the reality of husband and wife

I think most people think that this kind of treaty may be incomprehensible or unacceptable. Why did Salome make such a request? Why are you so obsessed with your body? Unexpectedly, Andrias agreed to this demanding requirement. Salome said, "I can only say that I met someone who is not simple."

At first, Andreas thought that Salome's insistence on "two chapters on the law" was just some girlish and immature ideas, which would soon disappear. Especially the second one, Andreas may think that with the passage of time, we get along with each other for a long time, and two beds will become one bed.

There is a story in the autobiography that Andreas tried to get close to Salome, which is described as follows:

"I instinctively stopped his approach. I put my hand down his throat as if I were fighting this man. The voice in the throat gradually turned into a sad cry. "

Andreas may want to change this strange relationship in this way. If raw rice is cooked, the whole marriage life may be on the right track. However, Salome was determined not to allow him to change their relationship in this way.

After this incident, Salome filed for divorce with Andreas. But Andreas replied categorically: You can do what you want, or you can not do what you don't want, but you must always be my wife, which is stipulated by law.

They are not divorced. In fact, their asexual marriage lasted until Andreas died at the age of 85. During this period, something beyond ordinary people's understanding happened.

Salome is uneasy about the peaceful marriage life. She can't stay at home for long. She needs to go out and breathe, give her life and thoughts, and find more vitality. What should we do?

Salome put forward a plan: find a maid who can take care of housework and people living in Andrias. Best of all, this person can become a member of the family, take on the role of housewife to some extent, and let Salome liberate herself and have more freedom.

To her surprise, her husband agreed again. Salome found a suitable candidate, similar to the role of housekeeper and nanny, and Andreas accepted the arrangement. Even later, this woman gave birth to a girl with Andrias.

During this period, they also reached a new agreement: both sides have the freedom to associate with others without hurting their marriage.

At this point in the story, we don't make value judgments. In fact, I think most people will wonder why Andreas can accept such an obviously unreasonable treaty.

Now, this peaceful but independent marriage mode is generally called open relationship. At that time, it was very surprising that Andrias could accept this marriage mode. In fact, this relationship needs to be extremely inclusive, including all inner contradictions and needs.

But unfortunately, no more reference materials can be collected. It can only be interpreted from Salome's point of view and the limited description in the book. I believe that there must be some power to make Andrias think that this woman in front of him is the highest reward in his life.

Salome and Rilke.

When Salome was 36, she met love.