Two Destinies: Carmen Sylva and Bertha von Suttner
Two Destinies: Carmen Sylva and Bertha von Suttner

Author(s): CRISTINA-ADRIANA REITER-POPESCU
Subject(s): Cultural history, Political history, Social history, 19th Century, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Addleton Academic Publishers
Keywords: Carmen Sylva; Bertha von Suttner; peace activism; pacifism; Balkan Wars; Romanian Queen Elisabeth; archival letters; transnational networks; literary diplomacy; anti-war advocacy;
Summary/Abstract: In this chapter, I explore the extent to which the fight for peace in Europe has remained a metaphor rather than a tangible political and cultural reality. Following the Balkan Wars, it became increasingly difficult for prominent pacifists like Bertha von Suttner (1843-1914) to sustain the discourse of peace amid rising nationalism and militarism. In 1889, von Suttner published her seminal novel Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!), a passionate denunciation of war and a call for disarmament. For her, war was not a catalyst for cultural or national progress, as many political leaders of the time claimed, but rather a destructive force that stifled human dignity and moral advancement. Her commitment to peace placed her at odds with powerful figures who branded pacifists as naïve or even traitorous. One of the most intriguing and underexplored aspects of von Suttner’s advocacy is her connection to Romanian Queen Elisabeth, also known under her literary pseudonym Carmen Sylva. A collection of previously unpublished letters—either addressed to or written by Carmen Sylva—has long remained a hidden treasure in the archives of the National Library of Romania. These letters reveal a deeply human dimension to the intellectual and emotional struggle for peace during a period of intense political upheaval. They also shed light on the networks of solidarity among European intellectuals, especially women, who sought to resist the cultural glorification of war and instead envisioned an alternative ethos grounded in compassion, diplomacy, and education.

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