Ulrich Bräker (1735–1798) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

, writer and

diarist A diary is a written or audiovisual record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. Diaries have traditionally been handwritten but are now also often digital. A personal ...

, known for his autobiography, published in 1789, widely received at the time as the voice of an unspoiled "natural man" of the lower classes, based on the title of which Bräker became known as "The Poor Man of Toggenburg" (''Der arme Mann im Toggenburg''). Bräker was born as the oldest of eight siblings in Scheftenau,

Wattwil Wattwil is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Toggenburg in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. On 1 January 2013 the municipality of Krinau merged into Wattwil.Toggenburg (at the time a territory owned by the Abbey of St. Gall). After the estate name of his birth house, he was also known as ''Näppis-Ueli'' (''Näbisuli''). He was the son of Johannes Bräker (''Näbishans'', 1708–1762). During 1741–54, the family worked the remote estate of ''Dreyschlatt''. Ulrich was educated in literacy and basic arithmetics during ten weeks each winter, working as a goatherd for the rest of the year. In 1754, the family moved to Wattwil, where Ulrich worked various jobs. In 1755, he entered the service of a Prussian recruiting officer. Against his will, he was pressed into military service in the 13th infantry regiment of the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

in 1756, but managed to

escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

later in the same year, at the Battle of Lobositz. Returning to his native Toggenburg, he married Salome Ambühl of Wattwil (1735–1822) in 1761 and had several children. He built a house ''auf der Hochsteig'' outside of Wattwil and traded in

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

for the local home industry. He began writing a diary, and his writing talent was discovered by local writer and intellectual Johann Ludwig Ambühl. Bräker published some texts in Ambühl's journal ''Brieftasche aus den Alpen''. His writing is based on a

pietistic Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christian life, including a social concern for the needy and ...

outlook and reflects intimate familiarity with the Bible (based on a close reading of the eight volumes of the

Berleburg Bible The Berleburg Bible (''Berleburger Bibel'') is a German translation of the Bible with copious commentary in eight volumes, compiled in Bad Berleburg during 1726–1742. It is an original translation from the Hebrew and Greek, along with the Pisc ...

) as well as a keen observation of nature, besides an enthusiastic interest in the works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(which became available in German translation at the time). Bräker wrote a commentary on each of the 36 plays by Shakespeare, published in 1780. In the judgement of Voellmy (1955), Bräker's diary is a "touching human document" containing ''Lebensweisheit'', or "pearls of true pragmatic wisdom", besides representing an important historical document of Bräker's time from the point of view of a man of the lower classes. His account of his half-year's service contributed significantly to the public image of the Prussian Army and its recruitment practices during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

. In 1776, Bräker became a member of the ''Toggenburgische Moralische Gesellschaft'', which was otherwise reserved to the educated classes. Publication of his diary began in 1788, and an edition of his collected writings was compiled, printed in 1792. Bräker was not successful as a businessman. He was in debt, and in 1797, a year before his death, he was forced to sell his house in Wattwil. Three out of seven children born to his wife died before reaching maturity. Bräker lived to see, and was perturbed by, the French invasion of Switzerland in the spring of 1798, but he died in September of the same year.

Publications

* ''Ein wort der vermahnung, An mich und die Meinigen Dass nichts besers sey den Gott förchten zu allezeiten,'' 1768–1771. * ''Raissonierendes Baurengespräch über das Bücherlesen,'' 1777. * ''Vermischte Lieder vor den Land-Mann,'' 1779. * ''Etwas über William Shakespeares Schauspiele, von einem armen, ungelehrten Weltbürger, der das Glück genoß, ihn zu lesen,'' 1780. * ''Die Gerichtsnacht oder Was ihr wollt'' (play, "The night of judgement, or 'As You Like It'") 1780. * ''Jauss, der Libens Ritter'' (fragments of a novel, contained in the diaries of 1789/90) *Bräker's autobiography was first published in 1788 to 1789 in '' Schweitzersches Museum'' in
13 parts
edited in with Hans Heinrich Füssli in Zürich under the full title of ''Lebensgeschichte und natürliche Abentheuer eines armen Mannes von Tockenburg'' in two volumes in 1789, A collection of works was edited by H. H. Füssli in 1792, as ''Sämtliche Schriften des Armen Mannes im Tockenburg''. A modern edition of Bräker's works was published with C. H. Beck (1998–2010) in four volumes.Andreas Bürgi, Christian Holliger, Claudia Holliger-Wiesmann, Heinz Graber, Alfred Messerli, Alois Stadler (eds.), ''Ulrich Bräker. Sämtliche Schriften'', 4 vols., C.H.Beck, Munich, 1998–2010, , , , , vol. 5: commentary and index.

References

Secondary Literature

* * Holger Böning, ''Ulrich Bräker, der arme Mann aus dem Toggenburg. Eine Biographie.'' Zürich (1998). * * * Alfred Messerli u. Adolf Muschg (eds.): ''Schreibsucht – autobiografische Schriften des Pietisten Ulrich Bräker (1725–1798).'' Göttingen, 2004. * Christoph Blocher,
Würdigung grosser Toggenburger Persönlichkeiten Huldrych Zwingli (1484-1531), Ulrich Bräker (1735-1798), Babeli Giezendanner (1831-1905) und ihre Bedeutung für die heutige Schweiz
', published version of a speech held on 2 January 2013 in Wattwil. *Alois Stadler and Wolfgang Göldi (eds.), ''Ulrich Bräker über "Himmel, Erde und Höll", illustriert mit Bildern aus seiner Zeit'', 1998.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braker, Ulrich 1735 births 1798 deaths People from Toggenburg Swiss writers in German Swiss diarists 18th-century diarists