Wilhelm Müller
Wilhelm Müller was a German poet born on October 7, 1794, in Dessau, Anhalt. He was the son of a shoemaker and received his education at the gymnasium in Dessau before studying philology and history at the University of Berlin. Involved in the Prussian rebellion against Napoleon I, Müller’s experiences influenced his literary work. He traveled to Italy, and upon his return in 1817, he began to write about his experiences, culminating in his 1820 publication "Rom, Römer und Römerinnen."
Müller is best known for his poetry collections, including "Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten" and "Lieder der Griechen," which highlighted Greek independence and featured simple yet evocative language. His contributions to literature also include "Neugriechische Volkslieder" and "Lyrische Reisen und epigrammatische Spaziergänge." Notably, his poems were set to music by composer Franz Schubert, resulting in celebrated works like "Die schöne Müllerin" and "Die Winterreise." Müller passed away on September 30, 1827, in Dessau, leaving a lasting impact on German literature.
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Wilhelm Müller
Poet
- Born: October 7, 1794
- Birthplace: Dessau, Germany
- Died: September 30, 1827
- Place of death: Dessau, Germany
Biography
German poet Wilhelm Müller was born in Dessau, duchy of Anhalt (now in Germany), on October 7, 1794, the son of a shoemaker. Müller attended the gymnasium in Dessau, and then went on to study philology and history at the University of Berlin. In 1813 and 1814, he took part in the Prussian rebellion against Napoleon I. After traveling throughout Italy, he returned to Dessau in 1817. He wrote about his impressions of Italy in Rom, Römer und Römerinnen, published in 1820. In 1818 he became a teacher of classics and a librarian at the local ducal library. During his subsequent years in Dessau he produced most of his best-known works.
From 1821 to 1824, he published two collections of poetry, the two-volume Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten and Lieder der Griechen. The former contained folk lyrics in which Müller attempted to express powerful emotions using only the simplest language. The latter was a collection of poetry that helped arouse German sympathy for the Greeks’ struggle for independence from the Turks. His other works of poetry include the two-volume Neugriechische Volkslieder (1825) and Lyrische Reisen und epigrammatische Spaziergänge (1827). His book Homerische Vorschule, a study of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, was published in 1824. The celebrated composer Franz Schubert many of Müller’s poems to music, including his verse cycles “Die schöne Müllerin” and “Die Winterreise.” In addition to his own original work, Müller also completed a translation of Christopher Marlowe’s drama Dr. Faustus and edited Bibliothek der Dichtungen des 17 Jahrhunderts. Müller died in Dessau on September 30, 1827.