Dr. Oskar Adler: A Complete Man
by Amy Shapiro, M. Ed.
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Available now, for the first time, Amy Shapiro's excellent biography on Dr. Adler, weaves over 20 years of research on this brilliant Austrian musician, physician, philosopher, and esoteric astrologer, author, and WWII refugee in a compelling story:
This pioneering biography chronicles the gathering of letters, stories and memoirs across over twenty years of discovery, of people who knew Dr. Oskar Adler personally, recounting the vital role that Adler played in the pre-Nazi cultural life of Vienna prior to 1938 and later in England. The legend of Oskar Adler unfolds as myths separate from reality, woven together by the common thread of a quest to create a portrait of Adler's life in its entirety. Examples include verifying the relationship between Oskar and his brother Max, a famous Austrian political theorist and exploring the question of whether Adler's wife Paula (Freud) was a blood relation to the famous Sigmund Freud.
The story begins at the author's encounter with Adler's esoteric tome, The Testament of Astrology, as translated by his devoted pupil Zdenka Orenstein. Letters by the Adlers from 1938 to 1952 document the bittersweet fate of Vienna's WWII exiled and express his devotion to music, metaphysics and the search for news of loved ones who were missing. Filmmaker Dale Rosen says of these letters: "As a documentary film producer I know how important it is to preserve a record of the past. The Adler letters add another tile to the larger mosaic of Jewish history."
An accomplished musician, Dr. Adler played first violin in the Adler Quartet. Distinguished musician Franz Schmidt wrote a glowing Attestation about Adler, and composer Arnold Schoenberg was a schoolmate and pupil of Adler's in Vienna; their friendship is evident in their correspondence. Other renowned musicians who paid generous tributes to Adler were Hans Keller and Dr. Kurt Frederick, and Adler mentions many of his musical colleagues in the autobiographical introduction to his classic work, The Critique of Pure Music. World-famous violinists, Louis and Adrienne Krasner's fond memories of Dr. Adler are shared in exclusive interviews, which led to the unraveling of a fascinating mystery involving Albert Einstein's disappointing response to being asked to help bring Dr. Adler to America. The biography closes with philosophical musings by Dr. Adler, which convey his unique spirituality and belief in reincarnation from a surprisingly scientific perspective.
Composer Reese Scott wrote of this work: "Ms. Shapiro's unique biography captures the intimate side of Dr. Adler's life as seen by the people who were closest to him, from an intimate, spiritual and revelatory perspective. Her research covers most of Dr. Adler's life and every aspect of his work, both those aspects in which she has special expertise and those aspects in which she has taken considerable time to gain the knowledge necessary to pursue her research - well worth reading."
Chapter Synopses:
Author's Introduction: This overviews Amy Shapiro's journey to gather letters, stories and memoirs across over twenty years of discovery, of people who recounted the vital role that Dr. Oskar Adler played in Vienna's pre-Nazi cultural life before 1938 and while in exile. Readers are invited to retrace the Adler legend as myth separates from reality.
Chapter 1: The Testament of Astrology and Mrs. Orenstein: The story begins at the author's encounter with Adler's esoteric tome, Das Testament der Astrologie, as translated by his devoted pupil Zdenka Orenstein. Deep friendship and inspiration combine to fuel the author's quest.
Chapter 2: Oskar's and Paula's Letters To the Orensteins (1938-1952): These letters document the fate of Vienna's WWII intellectuals exiles and Adler's devotion to music, metaphysics and the search for news of missing loved ones, adding "another tile to the larger mosaic of Jewish history."
Chapter 3: Critique of Pure Music and a Constellation of Friends: Generous tributes are paid to Dr. Adler by Mrs. Inge Trott, Milein Cosman, Hans Keller and Kurt Frederick. Adler remembers musical colleagues in his autobiographical "Introduction" to his classic music theory book, presented herein.
Chapter 4: Questionable Relations: "Uncle?" Sigmund and Brother, Max: Exploring if Paula (Freud) Adler was a niece to the famous Freud leads to fascinating correspondence with Mr. Walter Freud, Sigmund's grandson. To verify Oskar as brother to famed political theorist Max Adler, the author encounters highly regarded contemporary Austrian historian, Prof. Alfred Pfabigan.
Chapter 5: Maestros & Friends: Arnold Schoenberg and Franz Schmidt: Composer Arnold Schoenberg studied first under Adler in Vienna; their friendship is evident in their correspondence, presented in its entirety for the first time. Distinguished musician Franz Schmidt wrote a glowing "Attestation" for Adler as an accomplished musician with whom he played in the Adler Quartet.
Chapter 6: Louis and Adrienne Krasner: World-famous violinists, Louis and Adrienne Krasner share fond memories of Dr. Adler and historical insights in exclusive interviews with the author. Louis hints at Adler having had an important tie to Albert Einstein.
Chapter 7: The Albert Einstein Connection: A mystery involving Albert Einstein unravels through never-before published letters by Einstein. His response to requests to help Adler come to America is discussed, along with the reasons why Einstein both admired and feared Oskar Adler.
Epilogue: In a Body of Thought: Dr. Adler's philosophical musings convey his unique spirituality and belief in reincarnation from a surprisingly scientific perspective.
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