Edmond de la Fontaine (24 July 1823 – 24 June 1891), better known by his pen name of Dicks, was a

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

ian jurist,

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

, and

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

, known for his work in the

Luxembourgish language Luxembourgish ( ; also ''Luxemburgish'', ''Luxembourgian'', ''Letzebu(e)rgesch''; Luxembourgish: ) is a West Germanic language that is spoken mainly in Luxembourg. About 400,000 people speak Luxembourgish worldwide. As a standard form of th ...

. He is considered the

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbo ...

of Luxembourg, and along with

Michel Lentz Michel Lentz (21 May 1820 – 8 September 1893) was a Luxembourg poet. He is best known for having written '' Ons Hémécht'', the national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of ...

and

Michel Rodange Michel Rodange (3 January 1827 – 27 August 1876) was a Luxembourgish writer and poet, best known for writing Luxembourg's national epic, ''Reynard, Renert'' ull original title: ''Renert oder de Fuuß am Frack an a Ma'nsgrëßt''Luxembourgian literature. In addition, his ''Luxemburger Sitten und Bräuche'' was one of the most influential early ethnographies on the Luxembourgian people. Fontaine was the third son of

Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine (6 January 1787 – 11 February 1871)Thewes (2011), p. 15 was a Luxembourgish politician and jurist. He led the Orangist movement and was the first Prime Minister of Luxembourg, serving for four months, fr ...

, who was appointed

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of Luxembourg in 1841, and subsequently served as the country's first

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

in 1848. Fontaine studied law at Liège, and spent a further year at

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

pursuing Germanic studies from 1844 until 1847, before becoming a lawyer in 1850. From 1867 until 1870, he served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Stadtbredimus, in eastern Luxembourg's Moselle Valley, and served as a Justice of the Peace in

Vianden Vianden ( lb, Veianen or (locally) ) is a commune with town status in the Oesling, north-eastern Luxembourg, with over 1,800 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Vianden, which is part of the district of Diekirch. Vianden lies on t ...

from 1881 and 1889. He lived in Stadtbredimus Castle from 1858 to 1881 where he would live for the last decade of his life.

Works

Lyrics

* ''Liss, du bass mäi Caprice'' * ''Den Hexemeeschter''

Poetry

* ''D’Vulleparlament am Grengewald'' 1848

Plays

* ''De Wëllefchen a de Fiischen'' * ''D'Vulleparlament am Gréngewald'' * ''Am Wanter'' * ''Komeidisteck''

Ethnography

* ''Luxemburger Sitten und Bräuche'', Luxemburg: Brück 1883 (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

) * ''Die luxemburger Kinderreime'', Luxemburg: Bück 1877

Legacy

*The Dicks-Lentz Monument at the west end of

Place d'Armes Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Gr ...

was built in 1903 to honor Dicks and Michel Lentz.

External links

References

1823 births 1891 deaths Luxembourgian poets 19th-century Luxembourgian lawyers People from Luxembourg City Alumni of the Athénée de Luxembourg 19th-century poets 19th-century Luxembourgian writers {{Luxembourg-poet-stub