Ernst von Wildenbruch (3 February 184515 January 1909) was a

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 ...

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

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

Biography

Wildenbruch was born at

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

, the son of the

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n consul-general, Ludwig von Wildenbruch, who was himself an illegitimate son of Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. Having passed his early years at

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

and

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

, where his father was attached to the Prussian legation, he came in 1857 to the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

, received his early schooling at the Padagogium at Halle and the Französische Gymnasium in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

, and, after passing through the cadet school, became, in 1863, an officer in the Prussian Army. Two years later Wildenbruch abandoned his military career, but was recalled to the colors in 1866 for the Austro-Prussian War. He next studied law at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

, and again served in the army during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). In 1876 Wildenbruch was attached to the foreign office, which he finally quit in 1900 with the title of counsellor of legation. He achieved his first literary successes with the epics ''Vionville'' (1874) and ''Sedan'' (1875). After publishing a volume of

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

s, ''Lieder und Balladen'' (1877), he produced, in 1882, the

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

''Die Karolinger''. Wildenbruch married Maria Karoline von Weber, daughter of the engineer

Max Maria von Weber Max Maria von Weber (25 April 1822 in Dresden – 18 April 1881 in Berlin) was a German civil engineer who contributed to the development of railways in Austria and Germany. He was born in Dresden in the Kingdom of Saxony, the son of the composer ...

and niece to

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...

, in 1885. The couple had no children. Wildenbruch's dramas include the tragedy ''Harold'' (1882); ''Die Quitzows'' (1888); ''Der Generalfeldoberst'' (1889); ''Die Haubenlerche'' (1891); ''Heinrich und Heinrichs Geschlecht'' (1895); ''Die Tochter des Erasmus'' (1900); and ''König Laurin'' (1902). He also wrote several volumes of short stories (''Novellen'', 1883; ''Neue Novellen'', 1885; ''Tiefe Wasser'', 1897, and others). He was twice (in 1884 and 1896) awarded the , and was, in 1892, made a doctor of philosophy ''honoris causa'' by the

University of Jena The University of Jena, officially the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (german: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, abbreviated FSU, shortened form ''Uni Jena''), is a public research university located in Jena, Thuringia, Germany. The un ...

. He died at Berlin in 1909.

References

Attribution:

External links

* * * 1845 births 1909 deaths Prussian Army personnel Writers from Beirut Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Prussian people of the Austro-Prussian War German military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Französisches Gymnasium Berlin alumni House of Hohenzollern Academic staff of the University of Jena German male poets German male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German poets 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German male writers {{Germany-poet-stub