Friedrich Wilhelm Weber (25 December 1813 – 5 April 1894) was a German doctor, politician of the Prussian House of Deputies, and poet.

Biography

Weber was born in Alshausen, near Bad Driburg, in

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

. His father was forester for the Count of Asseburg. Weber first attended the village school, then when thirteen years old he went to the Gymnasium at

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...

, and afterwards studied medicine at the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; ), formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Founded in 1456, it is one of th ...

. His talent for poetry had been evidenced at the gymnasium; at university, it grew. After spending two years at Greifswald he went to Breslau, where he became acquainted with Gustav Freitag. After a year, however, he returned to Greifswald, where he obtained a doctorate; thence he went to Berlin, where he passed the state medical examination with great honour. After a brief journey for recreation to southern Germany he settled as a physician in Driburg, where he spent twenty-six years. His practice as a doctor did not keep him from writing poetry. In 1887 he settled permanently at

Nieheim Nieheim () is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Historical names of Nieheim are: Nihem, Nyem, and Nym. The town covers an area of about 80 km2 and has about 6,250 inhabitants. Geography Nieheim lies roughly 10 ...

. In 1863 he was made ''Sanitätsrat'' (honorary title given to a distinguished doctor) in recognition of his medical services; he was made an honorary doctor of philosophy by the academy in

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 ...

, and when he celebrated his semi-centennial as a physician he received the

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle () was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, o ...

, fourth class, while three years before his death he received the further honour of the title of ''Geheimen Sanitätsrat''. He was elected a member of the Prussian House of Deputies. He remained a member of the Centre Party until 1893, when he declined a re-election on account of his health.

Work

Weber's poetry fell into the genres of epic, lyric, and didactic. His early poems were frequently imitations of foreign poets. He was also one of the translators who made Scandinavian and English poetry accessible to Germans, including

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's ...

's ''

Enoch Arden ''Enoch Arden'' is a narrative poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, published in 1864 during his tenure as British poet laureate. The story on which it was based was allegedly provided to Tennyson by Thomas Woolner. The poem lends its name to a ...

'', ''Aylmers Field'' and ''Maud'', and

Esaias Tegnér Esaias Tegnér (; – ) was a Swedish writer, professor of Greek, and bishop. During the 19th century, he was regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epic '' Frithjof's Saga''. He has been called ...

's ''Axel''. His reputation, however, was founded on his epic, ''Dreizehnlinden'' (1878). It enjoyed a wide circulation, and was arranged for the stage; composers Ludwig Bonvin and Maria Vespermann also set it to music. Weber was nicknamed 'Dreizehnlinden-Weber' after it. His second work is his ''Goliath'' (1892). His ''Gedichte'' (1881) and ''Herbstblätter'' (1895) were published after his death. Other works include ''Marienblumen'' (1885), and two other religious poems written for special occasions, ''Vater unser'' and ''Das Leiden unseres Heilandes'' (1892).

Sources

;Attribution * cites **, (1884) **, (1900)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Friedrich Wilhelm 1813 births 1894 deaths People from Bad Driburg People from the Province of Westphalia German Roman Catholics Centre Party (Germany) politicians Prussian politicians University of Greifswald alumni University of Breslau alumni German male poets German medical writers 19th-century German poets 19th-century German male writers German male non-fiction writers Prussian physicians 19th-century German physicians Poets from the Kingdom of Prussia