Edmond de la Fontaine (24 July 1823 – 24 June 1891), better known by his pen name of Dicks, was a
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
, and
lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment.
Royalties
A lyricist's incom ...
, known for his work in the
Luxembourgish language
Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide.
As a standard form of th ...
. He is considered the
national poet
A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...
of Luxembourg, and along with
Michel Lentz
Michel Lentz (21 May 1820 – 8 September 1893) was a Luxembourg poet. He is best known for having written '' Ons Hémécht'', the national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of ...
and
Michel Rodange
Michel Rodange (3 January 1827 – 27 August 1876) was a Luxembourgish writer and poet, best known for writing Luxembourg's national epic, ''Reynard, Renert'' ull original title: ''Renert oder de Fuuß am Frack an a Ma'nsgrëßt''Luxembourgian literature. In addition, his ''Luxemburger Sitten und Bräuche'' was one of the most influential early ethnographies on the Luxembourgian people.
Fontaine was the third son of
Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine
Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine (6 January 1787 – 11 February 1871)Thewes (2011), p. 15 was a Luxembourgish politician and jurist. He led the Orangist movement and was the first Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for four months, fr ...
, who was appointed
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Luxembourg in 1841, and subsequently served as the country's first
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
in 1848. Fontaine studied law at Liège, and spent a further year at
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
pursuing Germanic studies from 1844 until 1847, before becoming a lawyer in 1850. From 1867 until 1870, he served as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
Vianden
Vianden ( lb, Veianen or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the Oesling, north-eastern Luxembourg, with over 1,800 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Vianden, which is part of the district of Diekirch. Vianden lies on t ...
from 1881 and 1889. He lived in Stadtbredimus Castle from 1858 to 1881 where he would live for the last decade of his life.
Works
Lyrics
* ''Liss, du bass mäi Caprice''
* ''Den Hexemeeschter''
Poetry
* ''D’Vulleparlament am Grengewald'' 1848
Plays
* ''De Wëllefchen a de Fiischen''
* ''D'Vulleparlament am Gréngewald''
* ''Am Wanter''
* ''Komeidisteck''
Ethnography
* ''Luxemburger Sitten und Bräuche'', Luxemburg: Brück 1883 (in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Place d'Armes
Place may refer to:
Geography
* Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population
** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government
* "Place", a type of street or road name
** Often ...
in
Luxembourg City
Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Gr ...
was built in 1903 to honor Dicks and Michel Lentz.