Carl Arnold Kortum (July 5, 1745 – August 15, 1824) was a German physician, but best known for his writing and poetry.
Born in Mülheim, Kortum studied medicine and was from 1771 physician in Bochum, where he died in 1824.
Kortum wrote several somewhat popular medical works, but also wrote a number of other less profitable works on various subjects, ranging from beekeeping to antiquarian topics to alchemy. However, he is most well known for his satirical epic poem, ''Life, Opinions, and Deeds of Hieronymus Jobs the Candidate'' (''Leben, Meinungen und Thaten von Hieronymus Jobs dem Kandidaten''), first published anonymously in 1784 and also known as ''The Jobsiade''. He also published a number of other satirical works, but none enjoyed the same level of popularity.
Selected works
* ''The Martyrs of Fashion'' (''Die Märtyrer der Mode'', 1778)
* ''Life, Opinions, and Deeds of Hieronymus Jobs the Candidate'' (''Leben, Meinungen und Thaten von Hieronymus Jobs dem Kandidaten'', 1784), also known as ''The Jobsiade'' (''Der Jobsiade'')
* ''The Magic Lantern'' (''Die magische Laterne'', 1784–86)
* ''Adams Hochzeitsfeier'' (1788)
* ''Defense of Alchemy'' (''Verteidigung der Alchemie'', 1789)
* ''Die Jobsiade : ein grotesk-komisches Heldengedicht in 3 Theilen'' . Brockhaus, Leipzig 8. Aufl. 185
Digital editionby the University and State Library Düsseldorf
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kortum, Carl Arnold
1745 births
1824 deaths
18th-century German physicians
German satirists
People from Mülheim
People from Bochum
German male non-fiction writers
German medical writers
18th-century German male writers