Heinrich Federer (6 October 1866 – 29 April 1928) was a Swiss writer and Catholic priest.

Biography

Federer was born on 6 October 1866 in the Bernese village of Brienz. His father, Johann Paul Federer, was a wood carver and school teacher whose

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

came from

Berneck, St. Gallen Berneck is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rheintal in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Berneck is first mentioned in 892 as ''Farniwang''. In 1210 it was mentioned as ''Bernanc''. Coat of arms The blazon o ...

. He attended grammar school in

Sarnen , neighboring_municipalities= Alpnach, Entlebuch (LU), Flühli (LU), Giswil, Hasle (LU), Kerns, Sachseln , twintowns = Sarnen is a small historic town, a municipality, and the capital of the canton of Obwalden situated on the northern shores o ...

from 1881 until 1887, when he went to study at a college in

Schwyz The town of Schwyz (; french: Schwytz; it, Svitto) is the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ' ...

. After studying Catholic theology in

Eichstätt Eichstätt () is a town in the federal state of Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district of Eichstätt. It is located on the Altmühl river and has a population of around 13,000. Eichstätt is also the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese ...

, Lucerne, and

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

, he was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1893 and assigned as the chaplain in

Jonschwil Jonschwil is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Jonschwil was first mentioned in 796 as ''Johannisvilare''. In 1282 it was mentioned as ''Jonswiler''. The village of Schw ...

. He retired from the priesthood in 1899 after suffering from ill health. After an

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

diagnosis in 1900, he was transferred to a women's home in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Zürich ...

to recover. While there, he worked as the editor-in-chief of the ''

Neue Zürcher Nachrichten The ''Neue Zürcher Nachrichten'' (''New Zürich News) (NZN) was a Catholic daily newspaper published in the city of Zürich from 1904 to 1991. The newspaper, founded in Zürich in 1896, was closely associated with the Christlichsoziale Partei (Ch ...

'', a Catholic newspaper. Federer had requested residence at

Einsiedeln Abbey Einsiedeln Abbey (german: Kloster Einsiedeln) is a Benedictine Catholic monastery in the village of Einsiedeln in the canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. The abbey is dedicated to Our Lady of the Hermits, in recognition of Meinrad of Einsiedeln, a he ...

but was denied admission due to rumors of inappropriate sexual behavior. On 24 September 1902, Federer was accused of eliciting an abusive sexual relationship with a twelve year old pupil, Emil Brunner. Federer wrote as a novelist, poet, and memoirist. Many of his books had religious themes, and countered the nationalistic Heimatkunst movement in Switzerland. In the 20th-century he was a best-selling author and awarded multiple literary accolades, including the

Gottfried-Keller-Preis The Gottfried-Keller-Preis, prix Gottfried-Keller, or premio Gottfried Keller is one of the oldest literary awards of Switzerland. The prize was created by Martin Bodmer and is named after the Swiss author Gottfried Keller. It is awarded every tw ...

in 1925.

Federer died on 29 April 1928 and is buried in the Rehalp cemetery in Zürich. His literary works are preserved in the Swiss Literary Archives in Bern. In 1966 Federer was honored with a Swiss federal stamp.

Bibliography

*''Berge und Menschen'', Roman, 1911 *''Lachweiler Geschichten'', stories, 1911 *''Pilatus'', narration, 1912 *''Sisto e Sesto'', narration, 1913 *''Jungfer Therese'', Roman, 1913 *''Das letzte Stündlein des Papstes'', Narration, 1914 *''Das Mätteliseppi'', Roman, 1916 *''Unser Herrgott und der Schweizer. Ein stolzbescheidenes Geschichtlein'', 1916 *''Patria'', narration, 1916 *''Eine Nacht in den Abruzzen. Mein Tarcisius-Geschichtlein'', 1917 *''Gebt mir meine Wildnis wieder'', narrative, 1918 *''Der Fürchtemacher'', Narration, 1919 *''Das Wunder in Holzschuhen'', stories, 1919 *''Spitzbube über Spitzbube'', narrative, 1921 *''Papst und Kaiser im Dorf'', narration, 1924 *''Wander- und Wundergeschichten aus dem Süden'', stories, 1924 *''Regina Lob'', Roman, 1925 *''Unter südlichen Sonnen und Menschen'', six short stories, 1926 *''Am Fenster'', autobiography, 1927 *''Aus jungen Tagen'', autobiography, 1928 *''Von Heiligen, Räubern und von der Gerechtigkeit'', 1929 *''Ich lösche das Licht'', poems, 1930

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Federer, Heinrich 1866 births 1928 deaths 20th-century Swiss journalists 20th-century Swiss novelists 20th-century Swiss poets Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in Europe

Heinrich Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of peo ...

People from Brienz Roman Catholic writers Swiss male novelists Swiss male poets Swiss male short story writers Swiss newspaper editors Swiss poets in German 19th-century Swiss Roman Catholic priests Swiss writers in German