Theodor Storm
Encyclopedia
Hans Theodor Woldsen Storm (14 September 1817 – 4 July 1888), commonly known as Theodor Storm, was a German writer.
. His parents were the lawyer Johann Casimir Storm (1790-1874) and Lucie Storm, née Woldsen (1797-1879).
Storm was schooled in Husum and Lübeck
and studied law in Kiel
and Berlin
. While still a student of law, he published a first volume of verse together with the brothers Tycho and Theodor Mommsen
.
From 1843 until his admission was revoked by Danish authorities he worked as a lawyer in his hometown Husum. Storm emigrated to Potsdam
and later Thuringia
in 1851. He returend to Husum in 1865 after Schleswig had come under Prussian
rule and became a district magistrate ("Landvogt"). In 1880 Storm moved to Hademarschen
, where he spent the last years of his life writing and died at the age of 70.
Storm was married twice, first to Konstanze Esmarch, who did in 1864, and than to Dorothea Jensen.
. Other published works include a volume of his poems (1852), the novella Pole Poppenspäler (1874) and the novella Aquis submersus (1877).
His favorite poets were Joseph von Eichendorff and Eduard Mörike
, and the influence of the former is plainly discernible even in Storm's later verse. During a summer visit to Baden-Baden
in 1864, where he had been invited by his friend, the author and painter Ludwig Pietsch
, he made the acquaintance of the great Russian writer Ivan Turgenev
. They exchanged letters and sent each other copies of their works over a number of years.
(Analysis and original text of the poem from A Book of German Lyrics, ed. Friedrich Bruns, which is available in Project Gutenberg
at UNC.edu
Life
Storm was born in Husum, at the west coast of Schleswig than an independent duchy and ruled by the king of DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. His parents were the lawyer Johann Casimir Storm (1790-1874) and Lucie Storm, née Woldsen (1797-1879).
Storm was schooled in Husum and Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
and studied law in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and 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...
. While still a student of law, he published a first volume of verse together with the brothers Tycho and Theodor Mommsen
Theodor Mommsen
Christian Matthias Theodor Mommsen was a German classical scholar, historian, jurist, journalist, politician, archaeologist, and writer generally regarded as the greatest classicist of the 19th century. His work regarding Roman history is still of fundamental importance for contemporary research...
.
From 1843 until his admission was revoked by Danish authorities he worked as a lawyer in his hometown Husum. Storm emigrated to Potsdam
Potsdam
Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....
and later Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
in 1851. He returend to Husum in 1865 after Schleswig had come under Prussian
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
rule and became a district magistrate ("Landvogt"). In 1880 Storm moved to Hademarschen
Hanerau-Hademarschen
Hanerau-Hademarschen is a municipality in the district of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated near the Kiel Canal, approx. 25 km southwest of Rendsburg....
, where he spent the last years of his life writing and died at the age of 70.
Storm was married twice, first to Konstanze Esmarch, who did in 1864, and than to Dorothea Jensen.
Work
He wrote a number of stories, poems and novellas. His two most well-known works are the novellas Immensee ("Bees' Lake", 1849) and Der Schimmelreiter ("The Rider on the White Horse"), first published in April 1888 in the Deutsche RundschauDeutsche Rundschau
Deutsche Rundschau is a literary and political periodical established in 1874 by Julius Rodenberg.Deutsche Rundschau strongly influenced German politics, literature and culture. It was considered one of the most successful launches of periodicals in Germany...
. Other published works include a volume of his poems (1852), the novella Pole Poppenspäler (1874) and the novella Aquis submersus (1877).
Analysis
Theodor Storm, like Friedrich Hebbel, was a child of the North Sea Plain, but while in Hebbel's verse there is hardly any direct reference to his native landscape, Storm again and again revisits the chaste beauty of its expansive mudflats, menacing sea and barren pastures — and while Hebbel could find a home away from his native heath, Storm clung to it with what might be called a jealous love. In Der Schimmelreiter, the last of his 50 novellas and widely considered Storm's culminating masterpiece, the setting of the rural North German coast is central to evoking its unnerving, superstitious atmosphere and sets the stage for the battleground of man versus nature - the dykes and the sea.onHis favorite poets were Joseph von Eichendorff and Eduard Mörike
Eduard Mörike
Eduard Friedrich Mörike was a German Romantic poet.-Biography:Mörike was born in Ludwigsburg. His father was Karl Friedrich Mörike , a district medical councilor; his mother was Charlotte Bayer...
, and the influence of the former is plainly discernible even in Storm's later verse. During a summer visit to Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden is a spa town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on the western foothills of the Black Forest, on the banks of the Oos River, in the region of Karlsruhe...
in 1864, where he had been invited by his friend, the author and painter Ludwig Pietsch
Ludwig Pietsch
Ludwig Pietsch was a German painter, art critic and feature writer in Berlin and a friend of Theodor Fontane.-Life:...
, he made the acquaintance of the great Russian writer Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His first major publication, a short story collection entitled A Sportsman's Sketches, is a milestone of Russian Realism, and his novel Fathers and Sons is regarded as one of the major works of 19th-century...
. They exchanged letters and sent each other copies of their works over a number of years.
Samples
A poem about his hometown Husum, the grey town by the grey sea .| Die Stadt | The town |
|---|---|
| Am grauen Strand, am grauen Meer Und seitab liegt die Stadt; Der Nebel drückt die Dächer schwer, Und durch die Stille braust das Meer Eintönig um die Stadt. |
By the gray shore, by the gray sea —And close by lies the town— The fog rests heavy round the roofs And through the silence roars the sea Monotonously round the town. |
| Es rauscht kein Wald, es schlägt im Mai Kein Vogel ohn' Unterlaß; Die Wandergans mit hartem Schrei Nur fliegt in Herbstesnacht vorbei, Am Strande weht das Gras. |
No forest murmurs, no bird sings Unceasingly in May; The wand'ring goose with raucous cry On autumn nights just passes by, On the shoreline waves the grass. |
| Doch hängt mein ganzes Herz an dir, Du graue Stadt am Meer; Der Jugend Zauber für und für Ruht lächelnd doch auf dir, auf dir, Du graue Stadt am Meer. |
Yet all my heart remains with you, O gray town by the sea; Youth's magic ever and a day Rests smiling still on you, on you, O gray town by the sea. |
(Analysis and original text of the poem from A Book of German Lyrics, ed. Friedrich Bruns, which is available in Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks". Founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, it is the oldest digital library. Most of the items in its collection are the full texts of public domain books...
at UNC.edu