Gerstäcker, Friedrich |
| WRITER (GERMANY) |
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BORN 10 May 1816, Hamburg - DIED 31 May 1872, Braunschweig, Niedersachsen CAUSE OF DEATH stoke GRAVE LOCATION Braunschweig, Niedersachsen: Magni Friedhof, Gerstäckerstrasse (II 5) |
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Friedrich Gerstäcker was the son of the opera singer of the same name (his father was Max in the first performance of Carl von Weber's "Freischütz" in Dresden). His mother Friederike Herz was also an opera singer. After his father's death in 1825 he lived with his uncle, the actor Eduard Schütz, in Braunschweig and there he went to school. In 1833 he returned to his mother in Dresden, already planning to leave for America. In 1837 he left for the USA, where he worked in all kinds of professions. He kept a diary that he frequently sent to his mother. After six years of travelling he returned to Germany in 1843. He settled in Dresden and translated works from the English. At the same time he started publishing his own work in magazines. In 1844 he published his first book, "Streif- und Jagdzüge durch die Vereinigten Staaten Nordamerikas". In 1845 he married Anna Aurora Sauer, the daughter of a painter from Dresden. In 1849 he went to America again, not returning until 1852. By now his novels had brought him financial security. In 1860-1861 he visit South America and with Ernst II von Coburg-Gotha he travelled to Egypt in 1862. In 1861 his first wife had died and in 1863 he married Marie Luise Fischer van Gaasbeek, a nineteen year old girl from the Netherlands. In 1867 he travelled once more to the American continent. In 1870-1871 he was a war correspondent at the Franco-Prussian War. Whilst preparing for a voyage to Asia he died of a stroke in Braunschweig in 1872. Related persons • influenced May, Karl |
| Images |
 The grave of Friedrich Gerstäcker at the Magni Friedhof, Braunschweig. Picture by Androom (23 Mar 2007) |
Sources • Friedrich Gerstäcker - Wikipedia (DE) |
