Carl Seelig (May 11, 1894,

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

– February 15, 1962, Zurich) was a German-Swiss writer and

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

. He was best known as a friend, promoter and guardian of Robert Walser and the first biographer of

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

Life

Seelig was born to Karl Wilhelm, a proprietor of a silk dye works and a

mountaineer Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...

, and Julie Alwine née Kuhn. He married Maria Margareta Deutsch and later Martha Suter. He attended grammar school in

and Trogen. He studied

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

in Zurich, although he did not attain a degree. During the 1920s, he began writing both poetry and prose. His later filled roles as a

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and a

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

. Seeling then began publishing independent literature as a theatre and film reviewer, editor, and author. Notably, he undertook the role of a biographer, particularly on life of Albert Einstein. Additionally, he was a supporter for authors in exile and for Robert Walser. He assumed the roles of

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, custodian, and

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, is sometimes used. Executor of will An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker o ...

for Walser, which culminated in his portrayal of him in "Wanderungen mit Robert Walser" (1957). It was translated for the first time into the English, ''Walks with Walser,'' by Anne Posten in 2017. An international libraries overview counted 163 published works, in 294 publications and 13 languages. He also employed the pseudonym Thomas Glohn for some of his written works. Seelig's recorded correspondents were, among others,

Max Brod Max Brod (; 27 May 1884 – 20 December 1968) was a Bohemian-born Israeli author, composer, and journalist. He is notable for promoting the work of writer Franz Kafka and composer Leoš Janáček. Although he was a prolific writer in his ow ...

, Hans Henny Jahnn, Alfred Polgar and Joseph Roth. He also maintained close contacts with Swiss authors, most notably Robert Walser, whom he accompanied on his walks, giving rise to the biographical work, ''Wanderungen mit Robert Walser'', The Swiss Literary Archives store, as a long-term loan, approximately 6,000 manuscript pieces by Seelig. As a testament to his dedication, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Carl Seelig Foundation in 1966. Notably, this foundation underwent a name change in 2004, becoming recognized as the Robert Walser Foundation.

Bibliography

German

* ''Der Tag bricht an.'' Neue Gedichte von Waldemar Bonsels, Martin Buber, Hermann Hesse, Stefan Zweig (editor, 1921) * ''Das neue Wunderhorn'' (editor, 1924) * ''Die Jahreszeyten im Spiegel schweizerischer Volkssprüche'' (editor, 1925) * Robert Walser: ''Vom Glück des Unglücks und der Armut. Die schönsten besinnlichen Stellen aus Walsers Büchern – stille Weisheit eines wahren Poeten'' (editor, 1944) * Novalis: ''Gesammelte Werke'' (editor, 1945/1946) * Sterne: ''Anekdotische Kurzgeschichten aus sechs Jahrhunderten'' (editor, 1950) * Robert Walser: ''Jakob von Gunten.'' (editor, 1950). * ''Albert Einstein und die Schweiz'' (1952) * Robert Walser: ''Dichtungen in Prosa'' (1953–1961) * ''Albert Einstein'' (1954) *''Helle Zeit — Dunkle Zeit: In memoriam Albert Einstein'' (editor, 1956) * ''Wanderungen mit Robert Walser'' (1957) * Albert Einstein: ''Mein Weltbild'' (first published 1934 by Rudolf Kayser, extended edition published by Seelig in 1954) * ''Originelle Gestalten der Familie Schoop.'' In: ''Thurgauer Jahrbuch.'' 33. Jahrgang, pages 95–110 (1958) *''Albert Einstein Leben Und Werk Eines Genies Unserer Zeit'' (1960

English Translations

* ''Albert Einstein: A Documentary Biography'' (1956) * ''Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein'' (editor, translation first published 1954) * '' The World as I See It'' (editor, translation first published 2015) * ''Walks with Walser'' (2017)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seelig, Carl Writers from Zurich 1962 deaths Swiss writers in German 20th-century Swiss writers 1894 births Swiss essayists 20th-century essayists