Heyse, Paul

WRITER (GERMANY)
BORN 15 Mar 1830, Berlin: Heiliggeiststraße - DIED 2 Apr 1914, München, Bayern
GRAVE LOCATION München, Bayern: Waldfriedhof (043-W-27)

Paul Heyse was the son of Karl Heyse, professor for classical philology and the educator of Felix Mendelssohn between 1819 and 1827. His mother Julia was a cousin of Lea Mendelssohn, Felix' mother. Paul was educated at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium.

Emanuel Geibel became his mentor and friend and it was Geibel who introduced him to the author Franz Kugler who would become his father in law. From 1847 onwards he studied philology at the University of Berlin and there he met Adolph Menzel and Theodor Fontane. In 1848 his first poem was printed and in 1849 he moved to Bonn to study art history. In 1850 he decided to become and he worked on his dissertation with professor Friedrich Diez. But after an affair with the wife of another professor he returned to Berlin.

His first short novel "Marion" was published in 1852 in "Tunnel". During the same year he promoted on the poetry of the troubadours. He travelled to Italy and after his return to Germany kong Maximilian II asked him to come to Munich. He married Margarete Kugler and went to Munich in 1854. There he founded the poetry society "Die Krokodile". In Zürich he befriended Gottfried Keller.

In 1859 his tragedy "Die Sabinerinnen" was awarded a prize for literature by king Maximilian II. In Vienna he met Grillparzer and Hebbel. On 30 Sep 1862 Margarete, with whom he had for children, died in Meran. he wrote more stories and plays and in 1867 he married Anna Schubart, a young woman from Munich. In 1884 he was awarded the Schiller Prize. Empress Elisabeth of Austria was an admirer of his work and translated his "Die Einsamen" into New Greek under the name of Gloriette. Her translation was published in 1893.

From 1899 onwards Heyse lived half of the year at Lake Garda and half of the year in Munich. In 1900 he became honourary president of the German Goethebund. In 1910 he was knighted and he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in 1914 in Munich.

Related persons
• had work translated by Elisabeth von Bayern, Kaiserin von Österreich
• helped Fontane, Theodor
• met Grillparzer, Franz
• met Hebbel, Friedrich
• was a friend of Keller, Gottfried
• knew Mörike, Eduard
• was a friend of Rettich, Julie
• was a friend of Sudermann, Hermann

Images

The grave of Paul Heyse at the Waldfriedhof in Munich.
Picture by Androom (23 Aug 2010)

 

Sources
Reformer, Republikaner und Rebellen, Das andere Haus Habsburg-Lotharingen, Piper, München, 1995
Paul Heyse – Wikipedia


Hiebel, Henny (La Jana)

Published: 12 Dec 2010
Last update: 03 Mar 2022