Eligius Franz Joseph Von Münch-Bellinghausen
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Baron Eligius Franz Joseph von Münch-Bellinghausen () (2 April 180622 May 1871) was an Austrian dramatist, poet and novella writer of the Austrian
Biedermeier The Biedermeier period was an era in Central European art and culture between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle classes grew in number and artists began producing works appealing to their sensibilities. The period began with the end of th ...
period and beyond, and is more generally known under his pseudonym Friedrich Halm.


Life and career

He was the son of a district judge at
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
in Poland, at this time part of the
Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...
. Early in his literary career he adopted the ''nom de plume'' of Friedrich Halm ("Halm" means a blade of grass or a blade of straw), and became one of the most popular dramatists in Vienna around the middle of the 19th century. His novellas are now regarded as more significant from a literary point of view than his dramatic writings. Münch-Bellinghausen was educated at the seminary of
Melk Abbey Melk Abbey () is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several member ...
and later at
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, where he studied philosophy and
jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
, and where he began his career in 1826. As a boy he took a keen interest in the theater, and from 1833 enjoyed the friendship of his former teacher, the
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
, who encouraged the poet to offer his drama ''Griseldis'' to the Hofburg theatre. Its successful production in 1835 established Halm's reputation as a playwright and henceforth he continued to write for the stage with varying success. Münch-Bellinghausen became (government councillor) in 1840 and (chief keeper) of the Court Library in 1844, a position that
Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna. He ...
had sought in vain. He was elected member of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...
in 1852, and life member of the Austrian Herrenhaus in 1861. In 1867, he was appointed superintendent of the two court-theatres (the
Burgtheater The Burgtheater (; literally: "Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater", originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in ...
and the Court Opera, the current
Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by ...
), but three years later resigned this position which disputes had made distasteful to him. His health also had been failing.


Literary work

Friedrich Halm's earliest full-length drama, ''Schwert, Hammer, Buch'', completed in 1833 but not published in his lifetime, explores three various routes in quest of happiness: that of the warrior, that of the artisan, and that of the artist. This massive drama of several hundred pages, although still a piece of '
juvenilia Juvenilia are literary, musical or artistic works produced by authors during their youth. Written juvenilia, if published at all, usually appear as retrospective publications, some time after the author has become well known for later works. Bac ...
', has numerous effective passages and anticipates the literary talent that was to burst upon the Viennese literary scene just three or four years later with the publication of Halm's tragedy, ''Griseldis''. Of his many dramatic works the best known are, indeed, ''Griseldis'' (1837); ''Der Adept'' (1836; publ. 1838), ''Camoens'' (1838), ''Der Sohn der Wildnis'' (1842), and ''Der Fechter von Ravenna'' (1857). ''Griseldis'' is based on the well-known story of the faithful wife whose loyalty and devotion are put to the severest tests but who triumphs in the end. ''Der Sohn der Wildnis'' ("The Son of the Wilderness") is a romantic drama depicting the power of womanly love and virtue over rude barbarian strength. It was presented on the English stage under the title of '' Ingomar the Barbarian''. ''Der Fechter von Ravenna'' ("The Gladiator of Ravenna"), regarded as one of Halm's best dramas, is a
tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...
having for its hero
Thumelicus Thumelicus (born AD 15; died before AD 47, probably in 30 or 31) was the only son of the Cherusci leader Arminius and his wife Thusnelda, daughter of the pro-Roman tribal leader Segestes. In May 15 AD, Arminius besieged Segestes at his strongho ...
the son of
Arminius Arminius (; 18/17 BC–AD 21) was a chieftain of the Germanic peoples, Germanic Cherusci tribe who is best known for commanding an alliance of Germanic tribes at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9, in which three Roman legions under th ...
, the liberator of Germany from
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
rule. According to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition, " is playsare distinguished by elegance of language, melodious versification and clever construction, and were for a time exceedingly popular." Halm's numerous other dramas include the vivid and powerful ''Sampiero'' (1856, depicting the tragic loss of humanity attendant upon political fanaticism); ''Iphigenie in Delphi'' (1856); '' Begum Somru'' (1863); ''Wildfeuer'' (1864); a German version of
Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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 natio ...
's ''
Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' (), also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concer ...
'' that appeared on the stage in 1842, and an extremely effective and humorous comedy entitled ''Verbot und Befehl'' ("Prohibition and Decree", 1856). He is also the author of lyrics, short stories, and of a narrative poem ''Charfreitag'' ("Good Friday") (1864). His poems, ''Gedichte'', were published in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
, 1850 (new ed. Vienna. 1877). His pessimistic seems to have been formed very early on in life and never to have deserted him, as evidenced by early poems such as ''Eine Makame'' and later poems, ''Schwere Jahre''. These describe how life is seen as essentially a vale of tears and filled with suffering, and only made bearable by the hope of a blissful and tranquil life of the spirit. These will supervene after physical death. Halm's high reputation during his lifetime is indicated by the stone bust which was carved of him and which still sits on top of the famous Burgtheater in Vienna, alongside those of Schiller, Goethe and Grillparzer. From an early age, Halm showed an aptitude for fictional narrative, perhaps first exemplified in ''Die Abendgenossen'', written when Halm was in his early twenties. Another early novella from this period, ''Ein Abend zu L'', contains insights on sex and homosexuality which anticipate
Freud Sigmund Freud ( ; ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies seen as originating from conflicts in t ...
ian psycho-analytical notions. Dr. Tony Page writes on this: "In view of its daring delineations of human sexuality and repressed sexual urges, its potentially progressive view of same-sex love and general exploration of the human psyche in the grip of passion, ''Ein Abend zu L.'' constitutes a remarkable early 19th-century literary document, providing pre-echoes of psycho-analytical ideas that would take the Western world by storm less than a century later."Dr. Tony Page, 'Friedrich Halm and the Demon of Sex: An Examination of Halm's Early Novelle, Ein Abend zu L', ''Manusya Journal of Humanities'', Chulalongkorn University, 2014, Thailand, p.66, www.manusya.journals.chula.ac.th/ files/ essay/ FRIEDRICH%20HALM_51-67 Halm's other short stories and novellas, which tend to focus on spiritual issues and self-destructive monomaniacal characters, are meant to be psychologically insightful—especially his earliest major story, ''Das Auge Gottes'' ("The Eye of God"), a lengthy novella written in 1826, about the supernatural reverberations of the blasphemous act of the desecration of a holy icon, and his final narrative piece, ''Das Haus an der Veronabrücke'' ("The House on Verona Bridge"), centering on the inner collapse of a man given over to a morally repellent but overriding (the enforced sexual coupling of his wife with another man). His novella, ''Die Marzipan-Lise'' ("Marzipan Lise"), is credited with being one of the first "criminal fiction tales" of German literature and is now available as an audio book on CD. Furthermore, the composer,
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...
, used some of Halm's verses as the basis for a number of his Lieder, as did composer
Pauline Volkstein Pauline Volkstein (19 January 1849 – 6 May 1925) was a German composer of more than 1,000 songs. Biography Volkstein was born in Quedlinburg, Germany. She had little formal music training, but came from a musical family. Her mother had studied ...
. Overall it can be said that it is as a short-story or "novella" writer that Halm has secured a place in the history of German/Austrian literature. His novellas mark Halm out as a writer of talent, psychological penetration and substance. His novella, ''The House at Verona Bridge'' (''Das Haus an der Veronabruecke'') alone stands as a milestone in 19th-century Austrian literature for its probing and insightful treatment of an obsessive mentality that inevitably leads its possessor into tragedy and death. His collected works, ''Samtliche Werke'', were published arranged in chronological order in eight volumes (1856–1864), to which four posthumous volumes were added in 1872. Also published were ''Ausgewählte Werke'', ed. by
Anton Schlossar Anton Schlossar (27 June 1849 – 1 August 1942) was an Austrian librarian and writer, in particular writing about the Austrian state of Styria. Life Schlossar was born in Troppau in Austrian Silesia (now Opava in the Czech Republic), son of a ta ...
in 4 vols. (1904). Published in the 21st century in Amazon Kindle format were a collection of poems entitled ''Unpublished Poems of Friedrich Halm'' (2011), for the first time the complete text of Halm's novella, ''Das Auge Gottes'' (2011), as well as Halm's novella, ''Ein Abend zu L.'' (2012), in addition to Halm's essay on literary aesthetics, ''Sendschreiben an J. C. R.'' (2012), as well as his massive drama, ''Schwert, Hammer, Buch'' (2022) and the earlier melodrama, ''Die Nacht der Rache'' (2024), all transcribed and edited by Dr. Tony Page.


Works


Plays


Stories


Collections

* , 1850 * , 8 vols., 1856-1864 *


References

* ** See also: ''Friedrich Halm's "Das Auge Gottes": An Analysis of the Complete Text'' by Dr. Tony Page (Doctoral Dissertation, Oxford University, 1988). ** See also
Austrian literature Austrian literature () is mostly written in German language, German, and is closely connected with German literature. Origin and background From the 19th century onward, Austria was the home of novelists and short-story writers, including Ada ...
**See also: ''Das Auge Gottes by Friedrich Halm'', edited by Dr. Tony Page, Blade Publications 2011, Bangkok, Kindle Edition ASIN: B005MJGS9Q **''Unpublished Poems by Friedrich Halm'', edited by Dr. Tony Page, Blade Publications 2011, Bangkok, Kindle Edition ASIN: B005MGDME8 **''St. Sylvesterabend by Friedrich Halm'', edited by Dr. Tony Page, Blade Publications 2017, Bangkok, Kindle Edition ASIN: B07261VSHG


External links

* Scholarly article on Halm's Novella, ''The Eye of God'', in relation to his Aesthetic Essay, ''Letter to J. C. R.'

* Research article on ''Friedrich Halm and the Demon of Sex'' http://www.manusya.journals.chula.ac.th/files/essay/FRIEDRICH%20HALM_51-67.pdf. {{DEFAULTSORT:Halm, Friedrich Dramatists and playwrights from the Austrian Empire Poets from the Austrian Empire University of Vienna alumni Austrian barons Writers from Kraków 1806 births 1871 deaths Austrian male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Austrian poets Austrian male poets Austrian expatriates in Poland 19th-century Austrian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Austrian male writers Translators of Dante Alighieri