The writer and licensed pharmacist is considered the most vital German representatives of poetic realism. He gained his ballads with themes from the Prussian and English-Scottish history, which also appeared in school textbooks, first taste of recognition. The period of time and realistic social novel culminated with his book “Before the Storm” (1878) to the climax. His narrative works hold a critical contemporary view of society. With his literary landscape images from the Mark Brandenburg and his war reporting Henri Theodor Fontane justified his reputation further as a journalist. Fontane open itself as an extraordinary stylist, also in his letters. His entire epistle work is estimated at more than 5,000 printed pages …Henri Theodor Fontane was on 30 Born in December 1819, the son of a pharmacist Louis Henri Fontane and his wife Emilie, née Labry in Neuruppin.
His ancestors were descended from French Huguenots, who for religious reasons, France at the end of the 17th Century, left to settle in Brandenburg. Was baptized the later writers on the French name Henri Théodore, the church book entry is on Henry Theodore. Fontane was initially taught by his parents and later by a private teacher. In 1832 he briefly visited the school and Neuruppiner 1833-1836 Klödensche the trade school in Berlin. During this time he lived with his father’s half-brother Dignified and his wife Philippine Fontane Fontane, as Uncle Dignified and Aunt pinching in “My Childhood” (1894) received literary.
With his patchy school a pharmacist graduated Fontane doctrine of 1836 and 1840. The literary activity went at that time not so much to the fore, although Theodor Fontane wrote already in that time some poems and essays. His work as a pharmacist’s assistant allowed him the mental preoccupation with writing poems and promoted in this way his literary ambitions. Moreover – as was customary – the pharmacies were a focal point for the reading circle, place on show in the new books and magazines. Sun Fontane came time to Karl Gutzkow magazine “The Telegraph of Germany” as one of the most vital media of the “Young Germany”.
With the end of his training was also the first public appearance together as a writer Theodor Fontane: In the “Berliner Figaro” his report “brotherly like” was reprinted in a row. It was followed by various positions as an assistant pharmacist in Burg, Leipzig or Dresden. From 1841 he worked in Leipzig. Fontane had there chance to get to know the Herwegh club. But even before him Georg Herwegh was literary and political model. Leipzig completely coined the democratic attitude of the writer and journalist later. During this time he translated some English working-revolutionary poems. In July 1843 he met the poet Berlin club “The tunnel on the Spree” and know that some people like the late Nobel laureate Paul Heyse, Felix Dahn and Theodor Storm.
In 1844 he became a member there and remained there for 21 years. The environment of the society influenced his literary work, Fontane chose the ballad as the preferred form of poetry. In December 1844 there was of his work “The Fire Tower” before. Often he was there even before his ballads with themes from the Prussian and English-Scottish history, through which he first gained notoriety. Many of them appeared in school textbooks. It followed the Norse ballads with materials from history and modern issues such as technology or labor world. From 1844 to 1845 Fontane completed his military service and during that time still took his first trip to England. In 1847 he finished his training pharmacists who pass the state exam and became “first class pharmacist”.
He then taught first pharmacy in the Berlin Bethanien Hospital. In 1848 he participated briefly in revolutionary barricades and was enthusiastic for German unity. Then in 1849 he went entirely to writing. He published some ballads, his first two books, “From the gorgeous pink lips” and “Men and Heroes” (1850) and a book of poems (1851). 1850 Theodor Fontane married his childhood friend Emilie Rouanet-Kummer, and he was push officer in the later “Central Office for Prussian affairs,” a propaganda office in the Prussian Ministry of the Interior. Fontane, the democratically-minded participants in the 48-revolution, he changed his political affiliations, and secured himself the merit of bread for his family.
For the Prussian newspaper business, he evaluated the English newspapers. These activities, he was able to continue in 1852 and 1855-1859 in London. The 1854 book “A Summer in London” reports on his England experience. With he returned from London, in 1860 he found a job as editor of the “New Prussian Gazette”. On their behalf, he reported from the various Prussian war zones. The work he performed a total of ten years. “For England” and “Beyond the Tweed” published 1860th These travelogues about England led him to the literary-historical description of your own home: One year later, his well-known “Walks through the Mark Brandenburg” and also made a ballad band. The travel tales are the precursor of his later novel writing.
In 1866 came his war book “The Schleswig-Holstein war in 1864″ and published in the two years 1870 and 1871, “The German War of 1866″. In “Prisoner of War” (1871) Fontane describes his experiences during the prison on a trip to Paris, there to report to a commission on the war between Germany and France, he was captured by the francs-and accused of being a spy. With several weeks of detention he was released in December 1870. From 1870 Fontane wrote theater reviews for the “Vossische Zeitung”, a job that suited him more. He slapped himself on the side of the naturalists and praised the performances of the plays of Henrik Ibsen. His last permanent post, which he followed only a few months, he met as secretary of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin. It was only in later ages came Fontane’s novel works.
The beginning of it was “Before the Storm” (1878), at the same time as the pinnacle of German literary development in the real-time and society is novel. Among his successful narrative works contain “Trials and Harms” (1888), “Beyond Recall” (1892), “Mrs Jenny Treibel” (1893), “Effi Briest” (1895 and “The Stechlin” (1899). Describes in his works Fontane critical of the thin-skinned and empty chatter of society in contemporary Prussia against the backdrop of history. humoristic and ironic elements as well as his skeptical attitude make its linguistic expression. It is again to be a excellent observer of people and thoughts, which draws an accurate depiction of its time .
Above all, he dominated in his novels masterfully dialogue with a strong content of relationships, which gave the pieces by a special vitality. Fontane presents itself as an extraordinary stylist well in his letters. He was one of the most prolific epistle writers of his time. His entire epistle work is estimated at more than 5,000 printed pages.
Theodor Fontane died on 20 September 1898 in Berlin.
