Suicide Solutions...?

A Review of Leo Perutz's "The Master of the Day of Judgment"

Horror, like a certain dream coat, is a multi-colored thing. Sometimes the horrific is painted in the blackest of blacks, with obsidian despair leaking out of every contour. A fog-shrouded castle, a vampire waiting in a box of earth, several naked necks. In other instances, horror moves in a gray world shot through with flecks of light. Humor is a natural companion to fear, as we laugh and shriek at anarchic surprises (depending, of course, on what the surprise is). The great Karl Edward Wagner knew all of this. Thus, his legendary 39 List includes books that approach the topic of fright from different angles, with some coming from genres other than horror.

One of the odder choices on Wagner’s list is Leo Perutz’s The Master of the Day of Judgement (1921). Listed among Wagner’s favorite “Thirteen Best Non-Supernatural Horror Novels,” The Master of the Day of Judgment is typically categorized as a mystery novel. Perutz, a well-respected mathematician by trade, often wrote deft, psychologically complex novels set in the past. His protagonists are often military officers or other members of the powerful aristocracy of the late Austro-Hungarian Empire (Perutz spent most of his life in Vienna, but did flee to the British Mandate of Palestine after a certain political party came to power in the 1930s). Pertuz frequently dabbled in the metaphysical and the sensational. The Master of the Day of Judgement is by far his weirdest work, and after reading it, one can understand why Perutz is the overlooked influence on writers such as Ian Fleming, Jorge Luis Borges, and even Wagner himself.

The Master of the Day of Judgement is set in Vienna in 1909. The world it depicts is rather cozy—army officers hobnob with actors and scientists, while beautiful women flit about the parlor carrying coffee and desserts. Here, people with good breeding and manners discuss the news of the day. More trouble in the Balkans. Britain and France rattling sabers over some spot in Africa. Bomb-throwers making a mess in Russia. For such late imperial Austrians, Europe may seem like it is teetering on a knife’s edge, but all still believe in the emperor and the immortality of his domain.

The protagonist is one Baron Von Yosch, an army officer who receives an invitation to a party during the early autumn in late September. The nobleman is joined by Dina, his former lover who became another’s wife; Felix, Dina’s younger brother; the acclaimed stage actor Eugen Bischoff; a certain Dr. Gorski; and the odd engineer Waldemar Solgrub. Tension immediately arises at the party for two reasons: First, Baron Von Yosch makes it known that he is still fancies Dina and therefore is jealous of her husband, Eugen. Second, Solgrub proves to be a terrible party guest who makes one bad faux pas after another. His biggest offense is his aggressive opinion regarding acting. Solgrub outright challenges Eugen in regard to an upcoming part, and the two fall into bickering. Eugen agrees to provide everyone with an impromptu performance, and he briefly leaves the party in order to prepare himself. After a while, several shots are heard, and after breaking into Eugen’s study, they find the celebrated actor dying from self-inflicted wounds.

What seems to be an obvious case of suicide takes a sharp turn. Felix accuses Baron Von Yosch of committing murder out of covetousness. Dina believes this herself. Solgrub, however, begins speaking of a mysterious entity responsible for the crime. To the engineer, Eugen’s murderer is an as-yet-unnamed individual—an incredibly fat Italian who lives somewhere on the fringes of polite society. Solgrub also invokes another strange case of suicide that afflicted Vienna not long before. In summary, Solgrub invites Baron Von Yosch and the others to help him track down a most unusual serial killer who convinces his victims to take their own lives.

The Master of the Day of Judgment is a tight and focused novel that contains within it a strong sense of dread. Solgrub’s investigation happens concurrently with Von Yosch’s queries, and sometimes the two men travel different paths. Most of the time though, Von Yosch is a step or two behind Solgrub and Dr. Gorski, both of whom know of a certain Italian loan shark with a well-heeled clientele. However, this man proves to be a red herring. The killer is indeed an Italian, but an Italian alchemist who died in a monastery during the Renaissance. Said Italian, one Giovansimone Chigi, was an infamous builder and painter who was known as “The Master of the Day of Judgment” because of his outré productions. Chigi earned this sobriquet after his alchemical research produced a mind-altering drug that allowed the maestro to see Hell, its demons, and, worst of all, the fate of the world during Armageddon. The experience drove the former bon vivant mad, and he lived out the rest of his days as a recluse among the Seraphic Brothers of the Seven Dolours in Rome. The same madness that consumed Chigi somehow made its way to Vienna, and by the novel’s conclusion, Von Yosch is thrown into an unreal and nightmarish world himself.

Perutz’s novel may not appeal to horror purists or pulp aficionados. The book is quite different from the rest of Wagner’s list. Its terror comes from the inner recesses of the mind, and one of its “tricks” is that it makes the reader question the reality of the entire ordeal. This quality deliberately clashes with the neo-Victorian melodrama concerning Von Yosch’s lingering love for Dina. Add to this mixture the timeless appeal of a locked room mystery, and you have a complex, almost experimental mystery novel that touches upon the mystical. The Master of the Day of Judgment is highbrow, no question about that. Perutz writes with wit and intelligence, and although his mystery is not neatly wrapped up like a Conan Doyle or Christie yarn, the ultimate explanation is still satisfactory.

BizarKings, The Master of the Day of Judgment is worth your time, but, in my humble opinion, it should be read after first consuming the bulk of Wagner’s 39 List. Perutz’s tale works best as a surprise dessert after so many courses of mad scientists, demon-infested duchesses, and various haunted houses.