The Verfasserlexikon (full title: ''Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters. Verfasserlexikon'') is a
Medieval German literature Medieval German literature refers to the literature of Medieval Germany.
It can be subdivided into two main periods:
*Old High German literature (750–1050) is the product of the monasteries and is almost exclusively religious in nature
*Middle H ...
reference book. Currently in its second fully revised edition, it comprises various encyclopaedic articles and accounts written on individual authors and anonymous works. The project is based in the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, a city in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
. The encyclopedia focuses on German literature from the
high and
late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...
as well as some Latin works from the same period.
Version History
The first edition was founded by
Wolfgang Stammler (
de) and continued by
Karl Langosch (
de). It comprised five different volumes and was published from 1933 to 1955 in the capital city, Berlin. This differs from the second edition, which is composed of fourteen volumes and was published from 1977 to 2008. The first ten volumes of the second edition contain entries from A to Z. Volumes 11 through 14 provide indices and descriptions to help use the content of the encyclopedia effectively. Volume 11 solely offers supplements and corrections while Volume 12 an index of all manuscripts. Volume 13 provides more indices. Volume 14 has an index of personal names, an index of the titles of works, and an index of Biblical passages. The encyclopedias were housed at the
University of Würzburg
The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...
until 2003, when they were transported to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences.
Editions
* ''Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters. Verfasserlexikon'', herausgegeben und begründet von Wolfgang Stammler, ab Band III herausgegeben von Karl Langosch, Band I bis V, Berlin (bis Band III auch Leipzig), (Erste Lieferung 1930) 1933–1955. (VL
1)
* ''Die deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters. Verfasserlexikon'', herausgegeben von Kurt Ruh (federführend bis Band VIII) zusammen mit Gundolf Keil, Werner Schröder, Burghart Wachinger (federführend ab Band IX, 1995) und Franz Josef Worstbrock, Band I–XIV, 2., völlig neu bearbeitete Auflage, Berlin / New York (Erste Lieferung 1977) 1978–2008, ; Neudruck (Band I–XI) 2010, (VL
2)
* ''Deutschsprachige Literatur des Mittelalters.'' Studienauswahl aus dem "Verfasserlexikon" (Band 1–10) in einem Band. Berlin und New York 2001, (a single-volume selection intended for students).
References
External links (in German)
– Beschreibung, ZitatDie deutsche Literatur des Mittelalters – VerlagDeutscher Humanismus - Verlag
German literature
German-language encyclopedias
German language
German-language works
Medieval literature
Medieval Germany
{{encyclopedia-stub