Edmond de la Fontaine (24 July 1823 – 24 June 1891), better known by his

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

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 land ...

ian

jurist A jurist is a person with expert knowledge of law; someone who analyses and comments on law. This person is usually a specialist legal scholar, mostly (but not always) with a formal qualification in law and often a legal practitioner. In the Un ...

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 wr ...

, 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 income de ...

, 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 t ...

. 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 symbol, ...

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 The literature of Luxembourg is little known beyond the country's borders, partly because Luxembourg authors write in one or more of the three official languages (French, German and Luxembourgish), partly because many works are specifically directed ...

. 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, ...

, 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 is ...

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 A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solici ...

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 as ...

Stadtbredimus Stadtbredimus () is a commune and small town in south-eastern Luxembourg. It is part of the canton of Remich. , the town of Stadtbredimus, which lies in the south-east of the commune, has a population of 676. Other towns within the commune inclu ...

, 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 ...

from 1881 and 1889. He lived in

Stadtbredimus Castle Stadtbredimus Castle (french: Château de Stadtbredimus), located on the banks of the Moselle in the village of Stadtbredimus in south-eastern Luxembourg, has a history going back to the 13th century when a fortified castle stood on the site. In 1 ...

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 **Ger ...

) * ''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 G ...

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