Karl Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm Gustav von Alvensleben (1800–1868) was a German writer.

Life

Ludwig von Alvensleben was born on 3 May 1800 in Berlin. He came from the Low German noble family of

Alvensleben von Alvensleben may refer to: * Christian von Alvensleben (born 1941), German photographer * Constantin von Alvensleben (1809–1892), Prussian general * Gustav von Alvensleben (1803–1881), Prussian general * 'Alvo' Gustav Konstantin von Alvens ...

. At the age of thirteen, he took part in the

German War of Liberation In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom of Grea ...

and began his career as an officer. In 1821, he was punished with two years of fortress arrest for a threatening letter written to Prince Augustus of Prussia. From 1825 to 1828, he completed a law degree in Leipzig, but could not take the final exam due to a lack of knowledge of Latin. However, he was able to make a living as a freelance writer, translator and journalist. In 1830, he was imprisoned for a short time because of a text "shadow and no light" (''Schatten und kein Licht'') printed in

Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hall ...

and directed against the Leipzig police. In 1836, he temporarily directed the Meiningen Court Theatre. In 1841, he moved to Vienna. There he took an active part in the revolutionary uprisings in October 1848 and was initially sentenced to death after being arrested, but then pardoned to one year in prison and expelled from Vienna after serving his sentence. His literary work was often impaired by frequent illnesses, so that he was in need and had to be supported by his family.

Works

Alvensleben was a versatile writer in the fields of entertainment, games and the theatre. Under his pseudonyms Gustav Sellen and Chlodwig he wrote a number of his own

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

s and

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

s, was successful as a translator from English and French and was the editor of various magazines. The journal ''Allgemeine Theater-Chronik'', founded by him in 1832, is still significant in terms of theatre history. It appeared until 1873 and he edited it until 1837. He also published the Journal for the German Aristocracy with Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué from 1840 to 1844. His translations included '' ''Napoleons Werke'' (6 volumes, Chemnitz 1840), Eugène Sue's ''Sämmtliche Werke'' (Leipzig 1838–46) in 24 volumes and the works of Balzac, Molière, Dumas, Swift (''

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', or ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'' is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clergyman Jonathan ...

''), Defoe ('' Robinson Crusoe''), Casanova (

Memoirs A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobiog ...

in 13 books). In total, he translated over 140 novels and plays and alongside Georg Nikolaus Bärmann (1785-1850), was the most important German translator of his time. Among his own works is ''The Lying Emperor - Destinies of the Lord of Münchhausen jun.'' (Meissen and Pesth 1833) - a time-critical satire that was reprinted in 1966 and 1968 (as a paperback) - together with the original Münchhausen from 1768 - and characterized as follows: "Alvensleben was a revolutionary spirit who had the courage to show the breaks he recognized in the state and social order as well as in the way people live and work together. This remarkable attitude, which did not stop at his own, still privileged social class, makes him particularly likeable. " (Wackermann, 1966). His other works included: ''Erzählungen'', ''Der strafende Burggeist'' (historical novel), '' Novellas and Narratives '' (Nuremberg 1831), '' The Debunked Jesuit '' '(Meißen 1831 - several editions),' 'Life and travel pictures and novellas'' (Leipzig 1841), '' Encyclopedia of board games' '(Leipzig 1853, nine editions until 1893),' 'Polterabend-Scherze' '(Quedlinburg 1858, nine editions until 1888), '' Garibaldi '' (biography, Weimar 1859), '' Prince Lobkowitz or: Revenge to the grave ''. (Historical novel, 3 volumes, Vienna 1862/63), '' General world history for the people '' (3 volumes, Vienna 1865-1872).

Family

He was a son of the Prussian hussar major,

August von Alvensleben August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named '' Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

(1775–1819), from the House of Redekin, and Countess Charlotte

von Schlippenbach The House of Schlippenbach is the name of an old German noble family that spread throughout Prussia, Sweden, Pomerania and Baltic, whose members held significant political and military positions. History First known family members were brothers ' ...

a.d.H. Schönermark (1777-1831). In 1828, he married Florentine Herzog (1807-1833); in 1834, Elvire Böhn (1818-1853) and in his third marriage in 1853, Emma Greiffeld (1831-1909). These marriages resulted in nine children, five of whom died in childhood. His grandmother was the actress,

Friederike von Alvensleben Friederike von Alvensleben (1749-1799), was a German actor and theater director. She was the managing director of a notable theater company, which was famous in Northern Germany during the second half of the 18th-century. She was first married to ...

, born née von Klinglin (1749-1799). This line expired with

Bodo von Alvensleben Bodo may refer to: Ethnicity * Boro people, an ethno-linguistic group mainly from Northwest Assam, India * Bodo-Kachari people, an umbrella group from Nepal, India and Bangladesh that includes the Bodo people Culture and language * Boro cu ...

(1903-1954) in the male line. Ludwig von Alvensleben died on 3 August 1868 in Vienna.

References

Literature

* * * *

External links

''The Alvensleben family''
(in German) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alvensleben, Ludwig Von

Ludwig Ludwig may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ludwig (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Ludwig (surname), including a list of people * Ludwig Ahgren, or simply Ludwig, American YouTube live streamer and co ...