Levin Schücking
Levin Schücking was a German writer and editor, born to a civil servant and a poet. After the loss of his mother, he received mentorship from the esteemed poet Annette von Droste-Hülshoff, who played a significant role in his literary development. Initially pursuing a law degree at several universities, Schücking shifted his focus to writing, supporting himself through language lessons and editorial work. He collaborated with Droste-Hülshoff on various literary projects, including a book on Westphalia, and they shared a deep friendship despite later tensions arising from Schücking's historical novel, which took aim at Westphalian nobility. Throughout his career, he held editorial positions at notable journals and published collections of poetry and travel literature. After the death of his wife, Louise, Schücking continued writing prolifically while also dedicating time to honor Droste-Hülshoff's legacy. He passed away in 1883, leaving behind a rich body of work that reflects his literary contributions and connections.
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Subject Terms
Levin Schücking
Author
- Born: September 6, 1814
- Birthplace: Clemenswerth bei Meppen, Westphalia, Germany
- Died: August 31, 1883
- Place of death: Pyrmont, Germany
Biography
Levin Schücking was the son of civil servant Paulus Modestus Schücking and poet Katharina Busch Schücking, who sent their son to a gymnasium in Münster, Germany, along with a letter of introduction to poet Annette von Droste- Hülshoff, a friend of Katharina Schücking who was living nearby. When Schücking’s mother died in the fall of 1831, Droste-Hülshoff, seventeen years older than Schücking, began looking after the teenager as a substitute mother. Two years later, Schücking began studying law at the universities of Munich, Heidelberg, and Göttingen, but he became uninterested in law and returned to Münster in 1837. His father remarried and left for a long trip to the United States, so Schücking gave lessons in modern languages to support himself while writing for his amusement. After he worked with Karl Gutzkow on Gutzkow’s journal Der Telegraph für Deutschland, Gutzkow offered him full editorship of the publication but Schücking declined the position.
Schücking met up with Droste-Hülshoff again in 1837 at the home of a mutual friend, and the two discovered common literary interests. Droste-Hülshoff committed herself to helping Schücking find a suitable position. In 1840, Schücking worked on Das malerische und romantische Westfalen, a book about Westphalia, Germany, that had been started by Ferdinand Freiligrath. When Schücking found himself struggling to meet the deadlines, Droste-Hülshoff contributed her own knowledge of Westphalia to the project. She also helped with some of Schücking’s other projects and the two soon became close friends. One month after Droste- Hülshoff moved to the estate of her brother-in-law, Baron Josef von Lassberg, Schücking was offered a job in the baron’s library, a position that allowed him to simultaneously work on his own writing.
He began editing the Allgemeine Zeitung in Augsburg in 1843, the same year he married longtime acquaintance and fellow writer Louise von Gall. He then assumed editorship of Kölnische Zeitung in Cologne two years later, and in 1846 Schücking published a collection of poems, Gedichte. His relationship to Droste-Hülshoff, already lessened in intensity by his marriage, further deteriorated when Schücking alienated his old friend by publishing the historical novelDie Ritterbürtigen (1846). The novel presented unflattering portraits of Westphalian nobility, and many nobles blamed Droste-Hülshoff for providing Schücking with these derogatory views.
Schücking went on to publish travel books and poetry collections while continuing to work as an editor, and he retired to his Sassenberg estate near Münster in 1852. His wife, Louise, died in 1855, leaving him to care for their two sons and two daughters. By then, Schücking was writing at least one novel each year. Schücking did not focus solely on his own writing, though; he committed himself to spreading the works of Droste-Hülshoff, who had died while the two were still estranged. He edited a collection of her poetry in 1860 and wrote a biography of her in 1862. He died in 1883.