Elise (Sara) Henle Levi (10 August 1832,

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 ...

– 18 August 1892,

Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

) was a

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...

writer, dramatist, and poet. She was the author of numerous dramatic comedies,

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

libretti A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major l ...

, poems, and cookbooks.

Biography

Elise Henle was born in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

into a wealthy

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

court factor In early modern period, early modern Europe, particularly in Germany, a court Jew (, ) or court factor (, ) was a Judaism, Jewish banker who handled the finances of, or lent money to, royalty and nobility. In return for their services, court Jews ...

family, the fifth of six children of Therese () and Benedict (Baruch) Henle. Her father had made a name for himself as the author of

geographical Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

and

horological Chronometry or horology () is the science studying the measurement of time and timekeeping. Chronometry enables the establishment of standard measurements of time, which have applications in a broad range of social and scientific areas. ''Hor ...

reference books A reference work is a document, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' ...

. He was the son of activist and grandson of Rabbi , and her mother the sister of poet Henriette Ottenheimer. Her brother would become a prominent politician and lawyer of the Bavarian royal family. She was educated at the Aschersche Mädcheninstitut boarding school in Munich. After her marriage in July 1853 to jewellery manufacturer Leopold Levi, Henle settled in Esslingen,

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...

, where her house became the

rendezvous Rendezvous or rendez-vous may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Rendezvous'' (1923 film), a silent film adventure melodrama * ''Rendezvous'' (1930 film), a German musical directed by Carl Boese * ''Rendezvous ...

of a distinguished society circle. Later, when her husband's company went

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the de ...

in 1881, she moved to Munich to live with her daughter. In 1889 she relocated to her widowed sister's home in

, where she died three years later. She was buried in the Frankfurt Jewish Cemetery in a funeral officiated by Rabbi Rudolf Reuben Plaut.

Work

Elise Henle's first literary publication was the satirical poem ''Hut ab!'', written in 1867 in response to an

anti-Semitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

statement by a judicial officer. it was followed by the sketch ''Beim Volkfest'' (1869), the novella ''Das Zweite Jägerbataillon'' (1869), and the narrative ''Die Wacht am Rhein'' (1870). She entered the dramatic field successfully with the

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

''Der Zweite September'', which was soon followed by the

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

''Percy'' (a free adaptation of Philipp Galen) and the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

of 's romantic-comic opera ''Manon, oder Schloß de l'Orme'', based on

Abbé Prévost Antoine François Prévost d'Exiles ( , , ; 1 April 169725 November 1763), usually known simply as the Abbé Prévost, was a French priest, author, and novelist. Life and works He was born at Hesdin, Artois, and first appears with the full na ...

's ''Histoire du Chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut''. Her comedies ''Durch die Intendanz'', ''Die Wiener in Stuttgart'', ''Aus Göthes lustigen Tagen'', ''Der Erbonkel'', and ''Liebesqualen'' met with marked success in several German and Austrian theatres. The latter was performed at the Stadttheater in Altona on 27 November 1881. She also wrote the text of ''Murillo'', an opera in three acts with music by , first performed at the

Mannheim National Theatre The Mannheim National Theatre () is a theatre and opera company in Mannheim, Germany, with a variety of performance spaces. It was founded in 1779 and is one of the oldest theatres in Germany. History In the 18th century Mannheim was the cap ...

in 1887. Near the end of her life, Henle published two popular

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cookbooks A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cours ...

in verse, ''Guat is's'' (1888) and ''So mag i's'' (1892, reprinted 1988).

Partial bibliography

* * * * * * * Music by Richard Kleinmichel. * * * * Music by Ferdinand Langer. * * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henle, Elise 1832 births 1892 deaths 19th-century German dramatists and playwrights 19th-century German poets 19th-century German Jews German opera librettists German salon-holders Jewish dramatists and playwrights Jewish German writers Jewish women writers People from Esslingen am Neckar German cookbook writers German women food writers Women opera librettists Writers from Munich