Clara Viebig
Clara Viebig was a prominent German novelist born on July 17, 1860, in Trier, a region renowned for its striking landscapes along the Moselle River. Initially pursuing a career in singing, Viebig transitioned to writing and was inspired by the naturalist movement, particularly after reading Emile Zola's *Germinal*. Her first collection, *Kinder der Eifel*, released in 1897, marked the beginning of a prolific writing career that spanned over four decades, during which she published twenty-six novels and eight story collections. Many of her works, such as *Das Weiberdorf* and *Die Wacht am Rhein*, became bestsellers and are noted for their empathy towards the working class, particularly focusing on the lives and struggles of women. Viebig’s literature often highlights regional challenges and societal issues, reflecting a deep understanding of the human condition. Recognized as one of Germany's most successful novelists and a key figure in the naturalist movement, Viebig's contributions to literature remain significant. She passed away on July 31, 1952, and is buried in Düsseldorf.
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Subject Terms
Clara Viebig
Author
- Born: July 17, 1860
- Birthplace: Trier, Germany
- Died: July 31, 1952
- Place of death: Berlin, Germany
Biography
Clara Viebig was born in Trier, in southwest Germany, on July 17, 1860, and her fiction often depicts the stark beauty of that region along the Moselle River. After a brief singing career, Viebig began to write sketches. After reading the naturalist Emile Zola’s Germinal (1885), she started writing the tales that are included in her first collection, Kinder der Eifel (children of the Eifel, 1897).
In the next forty years, she would produce twenty-six novels and eight story collections —most published by the firm of her husband, Fritz Theodor Cohn, and many of them best sellers—including Das Weiberdorf (1900; the village of women), the historical novelDie Wacht am Rhein (1902; the watch on the Rhine, considered by many to be Viebig’s greatest work), the landscape novel Das Kreuz im Venn (1908; the cross in the Venn), the documentary novel, Die vor den Toren (1910; those outside the gates), Der einsame Mann (1924; the lonely man), and Die Passion (1926).
Her novels are often marked by sympathy for the working classes—Das tagliche Brot (1900; our daily bread), for example, depicts the life of a servant girl—and often portray the problems of society in a particular region of Germany, from a city like Berlin to the Rhineland region in western Germany. She was best at showing characters, especially working-class women, controlled by elemental needs and desires. Clara Viebig was one of Germany’s most successful novelists for more than a quarter century, and at that time its most noted woman naturalist. She died on July 31, 1952, and is buried in Düsseldorf.