Theodor Fontane

Henri Theodore (Theodor) Fontane was born on December 30, 1819, in Neuruppin. He came from a family of Huguenot refugees from France. He studied pharmacy and practiced this profession in various cities in Germany and in Berlin until he was thirty, at which point he left it to become a freelance writer, political editor, and newspaper correspondent. In the same year (1849), he married Emilie Rouanet-Kummer, with whom he had three sons and a daughter. His work as a war correspondent gave him the opportunity to travel extensively and witness dramatic events firsthand, particularly on the front of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, during which he was even captured for espionage. He spent almost five consecutive years in England (1855-1859). He also traveled to Scotland, Italy, and Switzerland. Additionally, he briefly served as the first secretary of the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin. He worked at the "Vossische Zeitung" from 1870 to 1888 as a theater critic exclusively responsible for the performances of the Royal Court Theatre of Berlin, and from 1888 until his death for the performances of the "Free Stage for a Modern Life" troupe. He was fortunate to see the first collected edition of his narrative works in twelve volumes (1890-1891), to be honored with the "Schiller Prize" (1891), and to be declared an honorary doctor of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Berlin (1894). He died in Berlin on September 20, 1898. Major works: - Lyrical: "Maenner und Helden" ("Men and Heroes"), 1850, "Gedichte" ("Poems"), 1851, "Balladen" ("Ballads"), 1861. - Prose: Essays: "Unsere lyrische und epische Poesie seit 1848" ("Our Lyric and Epic Poetry since 1848"), 1853, "Willibald Alexis," 1872, "Christian Friedrich Scherenberg und das literarische Berlin von 1840 bis 1860" ("Christian Friedrich Scherenberg and Literary Berlin from 1840 to 1860"), 1885. Short stories, novellas, novels: "Vor dem Sturm" ("Before the Storm"), 1878, "Grete Minde," 1879, "Ellernklipp" ("The Alder Tree Cliff"), 1881, "L'Adultera" ("The Adulteress"), 1882, "Schach von Wuthenow" ("Schach von Wuthenow"), 1882, "Graf Petoefy" ("Count Petoefy"), 1884, "Unterm Birnbaum" ("Under the Pear Tree"), "Cecile," 1887, "Irrungen, Wirrungen" ("Trials and Tribulations"), 1888, "Stine," 1890, "Mathilde Moehring," 1891, "Unwiederbringlich" ("Beyond Recall"), 1892, "Von, vor und nach der Reise" ("About, Before and After the Journey"), 1894, "Frau Jenny Treibel oder Wo sich Herz zum Herzen find't" ("Mrs. Jenny Treibel or Where Heart Finds Heart"), 1892, "Effi Briest," 1895, "Die Poggenpuhls" ("The Poggenpuhls"), 1895, "Der Stechlin" ("The Stechlin"), 1898.