Ludwig Bechstein (24 November 1801 – 14 May 1860) was a German writer and collector of folk

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...

s. He was born in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...

, the illegitimate child of Johanna Carolina Dorothea Bechstein and Hubert Dupontreau, a French emigrant who disappeared before the birth of the child; Ludwig thus grew up very poor in his first nine years. His situation improved only when his uncle

Johann Matthäus Bechstein Johann Matthäus Bechstein (11 July 1757 – 23 February 1822) was a German naturalist, forester, ornithologist, entomologist, and Herpetology, herpetologist. In Great Britain, he was known for his treatise on singing birds (''Naturgeschichte der ...

, a renowned

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

and forester living in

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 26,000 (2024).

in the country of

Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen Saxe-Meiningen ( ; ) was one of the Saxon duchies held by the Ernestine line of the House of Wettin, located in the southwest of the present-day German state of Thuringia. Established in 1681, by partition of the Ernestine Duchy of Saxe-Gotha ...

, adopted him in 1810. He was sent to school in Meiningen, and in 1818, started an apprenticeship as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

. From 1828 to 1831 he studied philosophy and literature in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

thanks to a

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

granted by Duke Bernhard II of Sachsen-Meiningen, who hired him subsequently as a librarian. This lifetime post provided Bechstein with a continuous income, while leaving him a lot of freedom to pursue his own interests and writing. He lived from 1831 until his death in Meiningen. In his honor, a fountain was built in the English Garden. Bechstein published many works and was a successful author of his time. His ''German Fairy Tale Book'' was even more popular than the

Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob Grimm, Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm Grimm, Wilhelm (1786–1859), were Germans, German academics who together collected and published folklore. The brothers are among the best-known storytellers of Oral tradit ...

's collection when it was first published in 1845. He published several collections of

folk tale Oral literature, orature, or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung in contrast to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used va ...

s, and also published romances and poems

Important works

* (''Thuringian Folktales'') ''Thüringische Volksmärchen'' (1823) * ''Sonnet Wreaths'' (''Sonettenkränze'') (1826, through which Duke Bernhard became interested in him) * ''The Children of Haymon'' (1830, epic poem) * The Dance of Death, 1831, (''Der Totentanz'') epic poem) * ''Grimmenthal'' (1833, novel) * ''Luther'' (1834) * ''A Treasury of the Tales of Thuringian Legends and Legend Cycles'', (1835–38) (''Der Sagenschatz und die Sagenkreise des Thüringerlandes'') * Journeys of a Musician, 1836–37, novel, (''Fahrten eines Musikanten'') * ''German Fairy-Tale Book, 1845; 41st ed., 1893, (''Deutsches Märchenbuch''); French translation with introduction and comments: Corinne and Claude Lecouteux, Paris, José Corti, 2010 (collection Merveilleux); English (complete) translation: Michael Haldane (see External Links) * ''New Natural History of Pet Birds'' (1846, humorous didactic poem) * ''Berthold the Student'', 1850, novel, (''Berthold der Student'') * ''Folktales'' (1823) (''Volksmärchen'') ** ''German Legend Book of Folktales'', 1853, (''Deutsches Sagenbuch Volksmärchen'') * ''New German Fairy-Tale Book'', 1856; 105th ed., 1922); English (complete) translated: Michael Haldane (''Neues Deutsches Märchenbuch'') (see External Links) * ''Thuringian Legend Book'' (''Thüringer Sagenbuch'') (1858) * ''Thuringia's Royal House'' (1865)

Schools named after Ludwig Bechstein

* Staatliche Grundschule 6,

Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...

: Bechsteinschule (public elementary school) * Ludwig-Bechstein-Grundschule,

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 26,000 (2024).

: (public elementary school)

Notes

References

* *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bechstein, Ludwig 1801 births 1860 deaths Writers from Weimar People from Saxe-Weimar Artists from Meiningen People from Saxe-Meiningen Leipzig University alumni Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni German male writers German male poets 19th-century German poets German humorous poets