Max Dauthendey – Stuck in the Dutch East Indies in World War One

I’m afraid I don’t know much (anything really) about the German painter and writer Max Dauthendey (1867-1918). However an anecdote (to follow) about him made me laugh the other day and if anyone can tell me anything about his writing I’d be interested. Dauthendey was a major traveller and in 1905-1906 spent time in Asia, including in China. From that period came Lingam: Zwölf asiatische Novellen (Lingam: Twelve Asian Novellas) published in 1909. Apparently it’s little read nowadays but might be interesting – perhaps a little spicy (lingam is a fertility symbol) – if anyone can provide any details? – much appreciated.

Anyway – the anecdote. During the First World War Dauthendey was travelling in the East again and found himself in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia these days) – as Holland was neutral in WW1, so were their colonies in Asia. Dauthendey appears to have been quite inspired by Java and wrote at least one book about the place – Erlebnisse auf Java.

So, as it’s the war he’s marooned in Java and can’t get back to Germany. Meanwhile a British born woman, Nellie Fuchs, is attempting to get the Germans to release her husband Carl, a world renowned cellist. Out of the blue the Germans offer to send Carl to Britain if London would guarantee the safe passage of Dauthendey home from Java. Fuchs, a major cellist (German born but married to an English citizen) admired by, and good friends with, Sir Edward Elgar in exchange for a minor German poet – a good deal surely. But the British didn’t go for it and the Foreign Office didn’t much like Fuchs as he was German-born, whoever he’d married and whoever admired him. Still, the British needed to check out who this Dauthendey the Germans seemed to care about so much was exactly. A locally based diplomat was sent to Java find out about this Duthendey character and duly reported back:

“Duthendey is in Java and is 58. He is accused of being a poet but may be innocent.”

Duthendey was left marooned in Java and died there in the city of Malang in 1918; Fuchs didn’t get back to Britain, and his wife Nellie, till after the armistice in 1919.

Dauthendey