Ulrich Bräker
Ulrich Bräker was a Swiss writer born in Wattwil, known for his autobiographical narratives that reflect his challenging life experiences. Coming from humble beginnings, he initially worked as a laborer alongside his father before pursuing religious studies in Zurich. His life took a dramatic turn when he was deceived into joining the Prussian military, participating in the Seven Years' War, and later escaping to return home. Despite facing health issues, he worked various jobs, including in mines and as a cotton trader, while navigating a tumultuous marriage to Salome Ambuhl.
Bräker began writing in earnest during a famine in 1770, and his notable work, "Lebensgeschichte und natürliche Abenteuer des Armen Mannes im Tockenburg," published in 1789, is often hailed for its unique mix of self-analysis and narrative styles reminiscent of the picaresque novel. He also wrote an unconventional commentary on Shakespeare, expressing his discontent with "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Although his economic situation improved over time, he never fully integrated into the middle class. Bräker passed away in 1798, leaving behind a legacy as a significant literary figure of the 18th century.
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Subject Terms
Ulrich Bräker
Nonfiction Writer
- Born: December 22, 1735
- Birthplace: Wattwil, Toggenburg, Switzerland
- Died: September 9, 1798
- Place of death: Wattwil, Switzerland
Biography
Originally from humble origins in Wattwil, Switzerland, Ulrich Bräker was a mainly self-taught man who showed an early interest in preaching as a youth. For much of his youth, Bräker worked in the fields as a laborer with his father, but at seventeen he went away to Zurich to study religion under Heinrich Naf. In 1755, at the urging of an alleged friend and against the wishes of his father and family, Bräker was tricked and sold into the Prussian military. In his harsh military career, Bräker took part in the Seven Years’ War and actually fought in the opening Battle of Lobositz. Amid the chaos of war, Bräker and several hundred other soldiers managed to flee the battlefield and went home.
After his return, even though he became quite ill, Bräker continued working in mines and as a cotton trader. In 1761, he married Salome Ambuhl; even though it was not a happy marriage, later the two would become inseparable. In 1770, a year of devastating famine, Bräker began writing in a diary, and in 1776, he was able to access libraries of literature after joining the Moral Society of Liechtenstein.
Ulrich Bräker is best known for his autobiographical book, Lebensgeschichte und natürliche Abenteuer des Armen Mannes im Tockenburg (1789; life story and real adventures of the poor man of Toggenburg), which, although mainly derived from his journals, exhibits a rare blend of influences from his religious youth and the secular works he to which was later exposed. This work was a landmark work of the eighteenth century because it contains elements of the picaresque novel and probing self-analysis of a man who came from the most humble origins.
In 1780, Bräker wrote a book that is recognized as one of the oddest commentaries on the works of William Shakespeare. In particular, Bräker criticized A Midsummer Night’s Dream, finding the characters and the tone of the play unappealing.
Not able to sustain himself as merely a writer or salesman, Bräker had two careers, and although his economic standing improved, he never was truly a member of the middle class. Bräker died in 1798 at the age of sixty-two.