Charles Sealsfield
Charles Sealsfield, originally named Carl Magnus Postl, was an Austrian-born author and priest who lived between 1793 and 1864. He was born in Poppitz, now in the Czech Republic, and came from a family of wine merchants. After being ordained as a Catholic priest in 1814, Sealsfield mysteriously vanished from Austria in 1823, leading to extensive but fruitless police investigations. He reemerged in the United States, adopting the name Charles Sealsfield and claiming to be an American citizen. During his time in the U.S., he wrote two notable nonfiction works: "The United States of North America" (1828), which provided a political and social overview of the nation, and "Austria as It Is" (1828), focusing on Austrian politics.
Sealsfield also penned his only English-language novel, "Tokeah" (1829), which addressed the interactions between white settlers and Native Americans. His later writings included popular German-language novels like "Das Cajuetenbuch" (1841) and "Süden und Norden" (1842-1843), which depicted life in Texas and the Mexican-American experience, respectively. He lived in both Europe and the United States until his death in Switzerland in 1864. Sealsfield’s life and works reflect a complex interplay of cultural identity and exploration, making him an intriguing figure in 19th-century literature.
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Subject Terms
Charles Sealsfield
Writer
- Born: March 3, 1793
- Birthplace: Poppitz, Austria (now Popice, Czech Republic)
- Died: May 26, 1864
- Place of death: Solothurn, Switzerland
Biography
Charles Sealsfield was born in Poppitz, Austria (now Popice, Czech Republic), in 1793, the son of wine merchants who struggled to support their eleven children. Faced with the prospect of being unable to continue his education because of his family’s poverty, Sealsfield began studying for the priesthood. In 1814, after studying in Moravia and Prague, Sealsfield was ordained as a Catholic priest. He then became secretary of the Order of the Holy Cross with the Red Star, where he worked for nine years. Sealsfield vanished from Austria and the priesthood in 1823, and police investigations failed to uncover any trace of him.
Sealsfield resurfaced later in the United States, where he hid his true identity. He claimed to be an American citizen who was born in Pennsylvania and had spent a great many years abroad, living in Switerland. He changed his name from Carl Magnus Postl to Charles Sealsfield, and went to great pains to kept his past a secret. The reasons for his secrecy and deception are unknown. From 1823 to 1830, Sealsfield lived in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and Mexico. He paid a brief visit to Europe during this time, where he composed two works of nonfiction, the first written in German and the second in English. The first, Die Vereinigten Staaten von Nordamerika (1827; The United States of North America, as They Are in Their Political, Religious, and Social Relations, 1828), is a politicized description of his travels through the United States. His second nonfiction book, Austria as It Is: Or, Sketches of Continental Courts, by an Eye-Witness (1828), was about Austrian politics.
In 1829, Sealsfield released his first and only English- language novel, Tokeah: Or, The White Rose, which he published anonymously. The two-volume novel explored the conflict between white settlers and American Indians. In 1930, Sealsfield returned to Europe, settling in Switzerland. He wrote a number of German-language novels about his American adventures. Sealsfield’s most popular title, Das Cajuetenbuch: Oder, Nationale Charakteristiken (1841; The Cabin Book, or Sketches of Life in Texas, 1844), deals with conflicts in the American Southwest. His final novel, Süden und Norden (1842-1843; North and South: Or, Scenes and Adventures in Mexico, 1844), was a three-volume saga of Americans journeying through Mexico. Sealsfield then discontinued writing. He spent the next twenty years of his life living in both the United States and Europe, investing his money and increasing his personal fortune. He died in 1864 in Switzerland.