VOSS, JOHANN HEINRICH (17511826)

This article appears in Volume V28, Page 215 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: VIR-WAT

VOSS, JOHANN HEINRICH (17511826) , German poet and translator, was born at Sommersdorf in Mecklenburg-Stre]itz on the loth of February 1751, the son of a farmer. After attending (176669) the gymnasium at Neubrandenburg, he was obliged to accept a private tutorship in order to earn money to enable him to study at a university. At the invitation of H. C. Bole, whose attention he had attracted by poems contributed to the Gottingen klusenalmanach, he went to Gottingen in 1772. Here he studied philology and became one of the leading spirits in the famous Hain or Dichterbund. In 1775 Buie made over to him the editorship of the Musenalmanach, which he continued to issue for several years. He married Boie's sister Ernestine in 1777 and in 1778 was appointed

rector

RECTOR (Lat. for " ruler," " guide," &c., from regere, "
rule
- RULE
")

of the school at Otterndorf in Hanover. In 1782 he accepted the rectorship of the gymnasium at

Eutin

EUTIN

, where he remained until 1802. Retiring in this year with a pension of 600 thalers he settled at Jena, and in 18o5, although Goethe used his utmost endeavours to persuade him to stay, accepted a

call

CALL (from Anglo-Saxon ceallian, a common Teutonic word, cf. Dutch kallen, to talk or chatter)

to a professorship at

Heidelberg

HEIDELBERG

. Here, in the enjoyment of a consider-able salary, he devoted himself entirely to his literary labours,
September 1851, the son or a country squire. Though intended for the life of a country

gentleman

GENTLEMAN (from Lat. gentilis, " belonging to a race or gens," and " man "; Fr. gentilhomme, Span. gentil hombre, Ital. gentil huomo, in its
original
- ORIGINAL
and strict signification, a term denoting a man of good family, the Lat. generosus (its invariable transl

, he showed no inclination for outdoor life, and on his return from the war of 187071, in which he was wounded, he studied philosophy at Jena and Munich, and then settled at

Berchtesgaden

BERCHTESGADEN

. In 1884 Voss was appointed by the grand duke of

Weimar

WEIMAR

librarian of the. Wartburg, but, in consequence of illness. he resigned the post.

Chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

among his dramas are Serenarola (1878); Magda (18i9); Die Patricierin (188o) ; Der Mohr des Zaren (1883),; Unehrlich Volk (1885) ; Alexandra (1888) ; Eva (1889) ; Wehe don Besiegten (1889) ; The neue Zed (1891); Schuldig (1892). Among his novels may be mentioned San Sebastian (1883); Der Sohn der Volsizerin (1885); Die Sabinerin (1838); Der Mooch von

Berchtesgaden

BERCHTESGADEN

(1891); Der neue Gott 0898); Die Racherin (1899) ; Allerle i Erlebtes (1902) ; and Die Leute von Valdarz (1902).
See M. Goldmann, Richard Voss, ein lderariscizes Charakterbild
(1900).

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