Ludwig Achim von Arnim
Encyclopedia
Ludwig Achim von Arnim (26 January 1781 – 21 January 1831) was a German
poet
and novelist born in Berlin
.
Arnim spent his childhood with a grandmother in Berlin. He went on to study law and natural science at Halle and Göttingen, though he inclined from the first towards literature. His early writings included numerous articles for scientific magazines. He went on to travel through Europe with his brother, Carl Otto Ludwig, from 1801 to 1804. He published the important romantic Zeitung für Einsiedler (Newspaper for Hermits) in Heidelberg in 1808.
Arnim was influenced by the earlier writings of Goethe
and Herder
, from which he learned to appreciate the beauties of German traditional legends and folk songs. Forming a collection of these, published the result (1806–1808), in collaboration with Clemens Brentano
under the title Des Knaben Wunderhorn
. He married Brentano's sister Bettina
in 1811, who won wide recognition as a writer in her own right, and their daughter Gisela
(one of seven children) became a writer as well.
He lived in Berlin from 1809, worked on Heinrich von Kleist's paper there and founded the political union "Deutsche Tischgesellschaft" . From October 1813 to February 1814 he was publisher of the Berlin paper "The Prussian Correspondent." He remained connected with the Prussian patriots (Adam Heinrich Müller, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
, Heinrich von Kleist
.) He moved in 1814 to his family home, Schloss Wiepersdorf, where he remained until his death by heart attack in 1831. His output, published in newspapers, magazines and almanacs as well as self-contained books, included novels, dramas, stories, poems and journalistic works. Following his death, his library was taken over by the Weimar court library. He is considered one of the most important representatives of German Romanticism
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and novelist born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Life
Arnim was descended from a Prussian noble family. His father was Joachim Erdmann von Arnim (1741–1804), associated with the Prussian court and, among other roles, active as the Director of the Berlin theater. His mother, Amalia Carlonia Labes (1761–1781), died immediately after Arnim's birth.Arnim spent his childhood with a grandmother in Berlin. He went on to study law and natural science at Halle and Göttingen, though he inclined from the first towards literature. His early writings included numerous articles for scientific magazines. He went on to travel through Europe with his brother, Carl Otto Ludwig, from 1801 to 1804. He published the important romantic Zeitung für Einsiedler (Newspaper for Hermits) in Heidelberg in 1808.
Arnim was influenced by the earlier writings of Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
and Herder
Johann Gottfried Herder
Johann Gottfried von Herder was a German philosopher, theologian, poet, and literary critic. He is associated with the periods of Enlightenment, Sturm und Drang, and Weimar Classicism.-Biography:...
, from which he learned to appreciate the beauties of German traditional legends and folk songs. Forming a collection of these, published the result (1806–1808), in collaboration with Clemens Brentano
Clemens Brentano
Clemens Brentano, or Klemens Brentano was a German poet and novelist.-Overview:He was born in Ehrenbreitstein, near Koblenz, Germany. His sister was Bettina von Arnim, Goethe's correspondent. His father's family was of Italian descent. He studied in Halle and Jena, afterwards residing at...
under the title Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Des Knaben Wunderhorn is a collection of German folk poems edited by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, and published in Heidelberg, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, between 1805 and 1808...
. He married Brentano's sister Bettina
Bettina von Arnim
Bettina von Arnim , born Elisabeth Catharina Ludovica Magdalena Brentano, was a German writer and novelist....
in 1811, who won wide recognition as a writer in her own right, and their daughter Gisela
Gisela von Arnim
Gisela von Arnim was a German writer, mainly of fairy tales.Gisela was the youngest child of Achim and Bettina von Arnim. She was not formally educated, being taught only by her sisters. In her youth she read fairy tales and Romantic poetry, especially the works of Wilhelm Hauff, and began to...
(one of seven children) became a writer as well.
He lived in Berlin from 1809, worked on Heinrich von Kleist's paper there and founded the political union "Deutsche Tischgesellschaft" . From October 1813 to February 1814 he was publisher of the Berlin paper "The Prussian Correspondent." He remained connected with the Prussian patriots (Adam Heinrich Müller, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué
Friedrich Heinrich Karl de la Motte, Baron Fouqué was a German writer of the romantic style.-Biography:He was born at Brandenburg an der Havel, of a family of French Huguenot origin, as evidenced in his family name...
, Heinrich von Kleist
Heinrich von Kleist
Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist was a poet, dramatist, novelist and short story writer. The Kleist Prize, a prestigious prize for German literature, is named after him.- Life :...
.) He moved in 1814 to his family home, Schloss Wiepersdorf, where he remained until his death by heart attack in 1831. His output, published in newspapers, magazines and almanacs as well as self-contained books, included novels, dramas, stories, poems and journalistic works. Following his death, his library was taken over by the Weimar court library. He is considered one of the most important representatives of German Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
.
Works
- Hollin's Liebeleben (1802)
- Ariel's Offenbarungen (1804)
- Des Knaben WunderhornDes Knaben WunderhornDes Knaben Wunderhorn is a collection of German folk poems edited by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano, and published in Heidelberg, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, between 1805 and 1808...
(Folktale Collection, 3 vol., with Clemens Brentano, 1806 and 1808) - Tröst Einsamkeit (Book collection of Arnim's published Zeitung für Einsiedler, 1808)
- Der Wintergarten (1809)
- Mistris Lee (1809)
- Armut, Reichthum, Schuld und Buße der Gräfin Dolores (1810)
- Halle und Jerusalem (play, 1811)
- Isabella von Ägypten. Kaiser Karl des Fünften erste Jugendliebe (novella, 1812)
- Schaubühne (play, 1813)
- "Frau von Saverne" (story, 1817)
- Die Kronenwächter. Bd. 1: Bertholds erstes und zweites Leben (unfinished novel, 1817)
- Der tolle Invalide auf dem Fort Ratonneau (novella, 1818)
- "Fürst Ganzgott und Sänger Halbgott" (story, 1818)
- Die Gleichen (play, 1819)
- "Die Majoratsherren" (story, 1820)
- "Owen Tudor" (story, 1820)
- "Landhausleben" (story, 1826)
- Die Päpstin Johanna (published posthumously by Bettina von Arnim, 1846)