Ricarda Huch
Ricarda Huch was a prominent German writer and intellectual, born on July 18, 1864, in Braunschweig, Germany. She made history as the first woman to earn a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Zurich in 1891. A versatile author, Huch published her works under various pseudonyms, including her first comedy in 1890 and her initial collection of poems in 1891. Throughout her career, Huch lectured on literary topics, notably German Romanticism, and authored significant historical analyses of the movement. Huch's life included personal milestones, such as two marriages and the birth of her daughter, while her professional journey was marked by her opposition to the Nazi regime during World War II. In recognition of her contributions, she received the Goethe Prize in 1931 and became the first woman elected to the Prussian Academy of the Arts. Huch continued to engage with historical themes throughout her life, culminating in her posthumously published work on the anti-Nazi movement. She passed away on November 17, 1947, leaving behind a legacy of poetry, novels, and essays that continue to be well-regarded in literary circles.
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Ricarda Huch
Writer
- Born: July 18, 1864
- Birthplace: Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany
- Died: November 17, 1947
- Place of death: Kronberg, Germany
Biography
Ricarda Octavia Huch was born July 18, 1864, in Braunschweig (Brunswick), Germany, to George Heinrich Richard Octavio Huch, a wealthy merchant, and Marie Louise Ferdinandine Emilie Hahn Huch. Huch, the youngest of three children, was homeschooled until age nine, when she decided not to attend to high school. Huch’s mother died in 1882 and, after her father died in 1887, Huch left Germany to go to Zurich, Switzerland, to prepare for admission to the University of Zurich.
In 1891, Huch became the first German woman to earn the doctor of philosophy degree from the university. Huch remained in Zurich, were she worked as a city librarian before becoming a teacher at a girls’ secondary school in 1894. In 1890, her comedy Der Bundesschwur (the federal oath) was published under the pseudonym Ricard Hugo. In 1891, she published her first book of poems, Gedichte (poems), under the pseudonym R. I. Carda. Her first novel, Erinnerungen von Ludolf Ursleu dem Juengeren (Eros Invincible, 1931) was published in 1893.
In 1896, Huch moved to Bremen, Germany, where she lectured on literary and historical topics, including German Romanticism. She later published her work in two volumes, Blutezeit der Romantik (the flowering of Romanticism), 1899, and Ausbreitung und Verfall der Romantik (rise and fall of Romanticism), 1902.
In 1897, Huch met an Italian dentist, Ermanno Ceconi, in Vienna, Austria. They married on July 9, 1898, and lived in Trieste, Italy, where their daughter Marietta was born September 9, 1899. In 1900, the family moved to Munich, Germany, and the marriage was dissolved in 1905. Huch married her cousin, Richard Huch, on July 6, 1907, after he had divorced her sister, Lilly. Their marriage ended in 1911.
In 1931, Huch received the Goethe Prize of Frankfurt and became the first woman to be elected to the Prussian Academy of the Arts. During World War II, she was opposed to the Nazi Regime and even resigned her membership in the Prussian Academy in 1933. During the 1930’s, Huch worked on a history of Germany and, after the war ended, she began collecting documents about the anti-Nazi movement. Her work was posthumously completed by playwright and novelist Guenther Weisenborn and published as Der lautlose Aufstand (the silent uprising) in 1951.
In 1947, she received an honorary degree from the University of Jena and was also elected an honorary president of the first German Writers Congress held in Berlin in October. After the convention, Huch and her daughter traveled to Frankfurt, Germany, where the city gave her a guesthouse in Kronberg. Huch died November 17, 1947, of a heart attack following a bout of pneumonia. Huch was popularly and critically well regarded for her poetry, early Romantic novels, her historical novels, and her philosophical essays and nonfiction historical books.