AMERICAN Eduard Friedrich (Mrike Eduard Friedrich)

(1804-1875)
Born Sept. 8, 1804 in Ludwigsburg. He studied theology at the University of Tц?bingen (1822-1826) and during the eight years he served as vicar, then settled in a quiet idyllic Kleverzultsbahe. In 1843 ill health forced him to leave the ministry. In 1851 he began teaching German literature at a women's school in Stuttgart. Merike died in Stuttgart June 4, 1875.
All his life the writer spent in his native Swabia, an idyllic landscape which became part of his poetry. Peru Merike owned two-volume novel Artist Nolte (Maler Nolten, 1832) and a number of small prose works, in t.ch. genuine lyrical masterpiece of Mozart on the way to Prague (Mozart auf der Reise nach Prag, 1855), but it is primarily a lyric poet of rare charm and originality. As the breadth and diversity of content and form it resembles Goethe, but it seems not so much by his pupil, as a spiritual successor. Romantics favorite verse forms Merike favored the sonnet, the octave and the Spanish trochaic meters, should be added as German Dolnik, free verse, the size of the restructuring of folk songs and some great finds.

To fame Merike years after his death, when the Austrian composer H. Wolf (1860-1903) put his poetry to music (1888). Idyllic Realism old tower cock (Der alte Turmhahn) and Aistinoy mail (Storchenbotschaft) - this is only one side of the lyrical poetry Merike, . which are inherent and mythopoeic fantasy (midnight - Um Mitternacht and Fire Rider - Der Feuerreiter), . and a grotesque sense of humor.,