Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 16
General
Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern — Volume 16
Literature -- Collections
He now devoted himself wholly to poetry and general literature.
For a while he held the position of stage manager in the theatre of
Königsberg, and during this period produced the dramas 'Der Blinde
von Alcalá' (The Blind Man of Alcalá: 1846), and 'Lord Byron in
Italien' (Lord Byron in Italy: 1848). After leaving Königsberg he
frequently changed his residence, living in Hamburg and Breslau, and
later in Posen, where in 1852 he was editor of a newspaper. In 1853
he went to Italy, and after his return he settled in Leipzig. Here
he definitely established himself, and undertook the editing of Blätter
für Litterarische Unterhaltung (Leaves for Literary Amusement), and
also of the monthly periodical Unsere Zeit (Our Time). He wrote
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profusely, and exerted an appreciable influence upon contemporary
literature. He was ennobled by the Emperor in 1877.
As a poet and man of letters, Gottschall possesses unusual gifts,
and is a writer of most extraordinary activity. His fecundity is astonishing,
and the amount of his published work fills many volumes. His
versatility is no less remarkable than his productiveness. Dramatist
and critic, novelist and poet,—in all his various fields he is never
mediocre. Chief among his dramatic works are the tragedies 'Katharina
Howard'; 'King Carl XII.'; 'Bernhard of Weimar'; 'Amy Robsart';
'Arabella Stuart'; and the excellent comedy 'Pitt and Fox.'
Of narrative poems the best known are 'Die Göttin, ein Hohes Lied
vom Weibe' (The Goddess, a Song of Praise of Woman), 1852; 'Carlo
Zeno,' 1854; and 'Sebastopol,' 1856.
He has published numerous volumes of verses which take a worthy
rank in the poetry of the time. His first 'Gedichte' (Poems) appeared
in 1849; 'Neue Gedichte' (New Poems) in 1858; 'Kriegslieder'(War
Songs) in 1870; and 'Janus' and 'Kriegs und Friedens Gedichte'
(Poems of War and Peace) in 1873. In his novels he is no less successful,
and of these may be mentioned—'Im Banne des Schwarzen
Adlers' (In the Ban of the Black Eagle: 1876); 'Welke Blätter' (Withered
Leaves: 1878); and 'Das Goldene Kalb' (The Golden Calf: 1880).
It is however chiefly as critic that his power has been most widely
exerted, and prominent among the noteworthy productions of later
years stand his admirable 'Porträts und Studien' (Portraits and Studies:
1870-71); and 'Die Deutsche Nationallitteratur in der Ersten
Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts' (The German National Literature in the
First Half of the Nineteenth Century: 1855), continued to the present
time in 1892, when the whole appeared as 'The German National
Literature of the Nineteenth Century.'
HEINRICH HEINE
From 'Portraits and Studies'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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