Luxembourg literature
Encyclopedia
The literature of Luxembourg is little known beyond the country's borders, partly because Luxembourg authors write in one or more of the three official languages (French, German and Luxembourgish), partly because many works are specifically directed to a local readership. Furthermore, it was not until the 19th century that the literature of Luxembourg began to develop in parallel with growing awareness of the country's national identity following the Treaty of Paris
(1815) and the Treaty of London (1867).
. Discovered in Ansembourg
in November 1999, it is believed to be the work of Brother Hermann von Veldenz, who wrote the story of Yolanda's life after her death in 1283. It consists of 5,963 lines of rhyming couplets in the distinctive Moselle Franconian German dialect, which bears close similarities to today's Luxembourgish. The poem tells how Princess Yolanda gave up the comforts of her home in Vianden Castle
to join the Convent of Marienthal where she later became the prioress.
In 1829, Antoine Meyer
published the very first book in Luxembourgish, a collection of poems titled E’ Schrek op de’ Lezeburger Parnassus (A Step up the Luxembourg Parnassus). The book contains six poems: a love poem, Uen d'Christine (Without Christine); a meditation on the romantic subject of night, D'Nuecht" (The Night); a real-life depiction, Een Abléck an engem Wiertshaus zu Lëtzebuerg (A Moment in a Luxembourg Inn); and three fables, D'porzelains an d'ierde Schierbel (The Shard of Porcelain and the Earthen Pot), D'Spéngel an d'Nol (The Pin and the Needle) and D'Flou an de Pierdskrécher (The Fly and the Horse Trough). It is interesting to note that while Aesop
and La Fontaine
built their fables around animals, Meyer often personified inanimate objects. For example, in D'Spéngel an d'Nol, the well-to-do Miss Needle tries but fails to override the Pin, reflecting the failure of the French aristocracy to prevent the French Revolution
. Meyer was to write several more books of Luxembourgish poetry while teaching mathematics at the University of Liège
.
The next generation brought three poets who are now considered to be Luxembourg's classical authors. Edmond de la Fontaine (1823–1891), better known by his pen-name Dicks
, is remembered above all for his contributions to the theatre. His comedy De Scholtschäin (1855), the first play to be performed in Luxembourgish, was followed by D'Mumm Sèiss (1855), the operetta D'Kirmesgäscht (1856) and De Ramplassang (1863). He also wrote several poems and a number of prose works about Luxembourg and its people. His contemporary, Michel Lentz
(1820–1893), another poet, is best known for having written Ons Hémécht
, Luxembourg's national anthem
, which contributed much to promoting the Luxembourgish language among its inhabitants. However, it was Michel Rodange
(1827–1876) who wrote Luxembourg's national epic
, Renert odder de Fuuss am Frack an a Maansgréisst or simply Rénert the Fox. Published in 1872, the satirical work is an adaptation of the traditional Low German
fox epic to a setting in Luxembourg with pertinent insights into the characteristics of the local people.
While little of note was written in German during this period, Félix Thyes
(1830–1855) wrote the first Luxembourg novel in French, Marc Bruno, profil d'artiste, which was published shortly after his early death in 1855.
(1860–1940) worked both as a journalist and as an author of short stories, novels, plays and poems, contributing much to the development of Luxembourg culture. One of his most important contributions to Luxembourg's identity was his Abreisskalender or Tear-Off Calendar, a daily column he contributed from 1913 to 1940 to the "Luxembuger Zeitung", commenting on items of local cultural interest.
An important literary figure in the early 20th century was Nikolaus Welter (1871–1951), who addressed Luxembourg issues in his German-language plays including Die Söhne des Öslings (1904) and as a poet in Hochofen (1913). Welter is also regarded as Luxembourg's first literary historian.
, Anise Koltz
(born 1928) began her literary career in the 1950s, initially writing fairy tales in German and Luxembourgish. However, in the 1970s, after the death of her husband who had been tortured by the Nazis, she turned exclusively to writing poetry in French. Her books have been widely published and translated into several languages. In 1998, she was awarded the Prix Guillaume Apollinaire
for Le mur du son. Koltz has done much to create interest in Luxembourg writers through her annual Journées littéraires de Mondorf (Mondorf Literary Days) which she launched in 1963. She is now widely considered the country's most important contemporary author,
Jean Portante
(born 1950) is a successful contemporary poet and novelist, not just in Luxembourg but in the wider French-speaking world. Brought up in an Italian immigrant family, he chose French as the language for his works. While primarily known as a poet, he has also written short stories, plays, screenplays and novels. He has also translated the works of Juan Gelman
and Gonzalo Rojas
into French. Jean Krier
, writing poetry in German, was awarded both the German Chamisso Prise and the Luxembourg Servais Prize
in 2011 for his Herzens Lust Spiele.
(born 1947) and Roger Manderscheid
(1933–2010) both wrote novels in Luxembourgish. Rewenig's Hannert dem Atlantik (1985) broke new ground as the first novel written in the local language. Ostensibly the story of Jemp Medinger, a street sweeper, it is in fact a critical account of the problems of family life and the authoritarian structures of politics and society, adapting the "stream of consciousness" technique to experiments with the Luxembourgish lexicon.
Manderscheid's childhood trilogy Schacko klak, De papagei um kâschtebam and Feier a flam, published in 1988, surprisingly sold 3,000 copies. "Schacko klak" is in fact a kind of autobiography told by an outsider. The title is a play on words reminding the reader of both a top hat (from French) and a military helmet (from German) but it is simply a nickname for the author alluding to his rounded bald head. Manderscheid's book reveals the author's consciousness of language use in Luxembourg, describing comical incidents with German soldiers in the war as well as the rather artificial use of French based essentially on the language taught in the classroom. His use of Luxembourgish allows him to achieve this most effectively.
These initiatives led to a wider interest in writing novels in Luxembourgish. Among those published since 1990 are Frascht by Nico Helminger
, Angscht virum Groussen Tunn, by Jean-Michel Treinen, Perl oder Pica by Jhemp Hoscheit
, Iwwer Waasser by Georges Hausemer
, and a number of novels by Josy Braun
including Porto fir d’Affekoten and Kréiwénkel.
which has been awarded annually since 1992 to a Luxembourg author for a specific work; and the Batty Weber Prize
, considered to be the national literary prize, which has been awarded once every three years since 1987 to a Luxembourg author for his entire literary work.
Treaty of Paris (1815)
Treaty of Paris of 1815, was signed on 20 November 1815 following the defeat and second abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February, Napoleon had escaped from his exile on Elba; he entered Paris on 20 March, beginning the Hundred Days of his restored rule. Four days after France's defeat in the...
(1815) and the Treaty of London (1867).
Yolanda of Vianden
There is one historic work which has recently gained a place in Luxembourg literature. The Codex Mariendalensis, a manuscript from the beginning of the 14th century, tells the story of Yolanda of ViandenYolanda of Vianden
Mother Yolanda of Vianden, O.P., was the youngest daughter of Count Henry I of Vianden and Margaret, Marchioness of Namur. She joined the Dominican monastery in Marienthal, Luxembourg, against the wishes of her parents when she was very young...
. Discovered in Ansembourg
Ansembourg
Ansembourg is a village in the commune of Tuntange, in western Luxembourg. , the village has a population of 40.Ansembourg is in part of the Eisch valley known as the Valley of the Seven Castles. The village is the site of two of the seven castles...
in November 1999, it is believed to be the work of Brother Hermann von Veldenz, who wrote the story of Yolanda's life after her death in 1283. It consists of 5,963 lines of rhyming couplets in the distinctive Moselle Franconian German dialect, which bears close similarities to today's Luxembourgish. The poem tells how Princess Yolanda gave up the comforts of her home in Vianden Castle
Vianden
Vianden is a commune with city status in the Oesling, north-eastern Luxembourg, with over 1,500 inhabitants. It is the capital of the canton of Vianden, which is part of the district of Diekirch. Vianden lies on the Our river, near the border between Luxembourg and Germany., the town of Vianden,...
to join the Convent of Marienthal where she later became the prioress.
19th century
Despite the use of French and German for administrative purposes, it was Lëtzebuerger Däitsch, now known as Luxembourgish, which was behind the development of Luxembourg's literature in the 19th century, contributing much to the consolidation of the national identity.In 1829, Antoine Meyer
Antoine Meyer
Antoine Meyer, also known as Antun or Tun Meyer was a Luxembourg-born mathematician and poet who later adopted Belgian nationality...
published the very first book in Luxembourgish, a collection of poems titled E’ Schrek op de’ Lezeburger Parnassus (A Step up the Luxembourg Parnassus). The book contains six poems: a love poem, Uen d'Christine (Without Christine); a meditation on the romantic subject of night, D'Nuecht" (The Night); a real-life depiction, Een Abléck an engem Wiertshaus zu Lëtzebuerg (A Moment in a Luxembourg Inn); and three fables, D'porzelains an d'ierde Schierbel (The Shard of Porcelain and the Earthen Pot), D'Spéngel an d'Nol (The Pin and the Needle) and D'Flou an de Pierdskrécher (The Fly and the Horse Trough). It is interesting to note that while Aesop
Aesop
Aesop was a Greek writer credited with a number of popular fables. Older spellings of his name have included Esop and Isope. Although his existence remains uncertain and no writings by him survive, numerous tales credited to him were gathered across the centuries and in many languages in a...
and La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine
Jean de La Fontaine was the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his Fables, which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Europe and numerous alternative versions in France, and in French regional...
built their fables around animals, Meyer often personified inanimate objects. For example, in D'Spéngel an d'Nol, the well-to-do Miss Needle tries but fails to override the Pin, reflecting the failure of the French aristocracy to prevent the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Meyer was to write several more books of Luxembourgish poetry while teaching mathematics at the University of Liège
University of Liège
The University of Liège , in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium, is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French.-History:...
.
The next generation brought three poets who are now considered to be Luxembourg's classical authors. Edmond de la Fontaine (1823–1891), better known by his pen-name Dicks
Dicks
Edmond de la Fontaine , better known by his pen name of Dicks, was a Luxembourgian jurist, poet, and lyricist, known for his work in the Luxembourgish language. He is considered the national poet of Luxembourg, and, along with Michel Lentz and Michel Rodange, one of the most important figures in...
, is remembered above all for his contributions to the theatre. His comedy De Scholtschäin (1855), the first play to be performed in Luxembourgish, was followed by D'Mumm Sèiss (1855), the operetta D'Kirmesgäscht (1856) and De Ramplassang (1863). He also wrote several poems and a number of prose works about Luxembourg and its people. His contemporary, Michel Lentz
Michel Lentz
Michel Lentz was a Luxembourgian poet. He is best known for having written Ons Hémécht, the national anthem of Luxembourg....
(1820–1893), another poet, is best known for having written Ons Hémécht
Ons Hémécht
"Ons Heemecht" is the national anthem of Luxembourg. The title in Luxembourgish translates as Our Homeland. Michel Lentz wrote the words in 1859, and they were set to music by Jean Antoine Zinnen in 1864...
, Luxembourg's national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
, which contributed much to promoting the Luxembourgish language among its inhabitants. However, it was Michel Rodange
Michel Rodange
Michel Rodange was a Luxembourgian writer and poet, best known for writing Luxembourg's national epic, Rénert the Fox....
(1827–1876) who wrote Luxembourg's national epic
National epic
A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation; not necessarily a nation-state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with aspirations to independence or autonomy...
, Renert odder de Fuuss am Frack an a Maansgréisst or simply Rénert the Fox. Published in 1872, the satirical work is an adaptation of the traditional Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
fox epic to a setting in Luxembourg with pertinent insights into the characteristics of the local people.
While little of note was written in German during this period, Félix Thyes
Félix Thyes
Félix Thyes is recognized as the first Luxembourg author to write a novel in French. Marc Bruno, profil d'artiste was published shorty after his death in 1855. He was also the first literary historian to discuss literature written in Luxembourgish. -His novel:Marc Bruno: portrait d'un artiste is a...
(1830–1855) wrote the first Luxembourg novel in French, Marc Bruno, profil d'artiste, which was published shortly after his early death in 1855.
Early 20th century
Batty WeberBatty Weber
Batty Weber is considered to have been one of Luxembourg's most influential journalists and authors, contributing much to the development of the country's national identity...
(1860–1940) worked both as a journalist and as an author of short stories, novels, plays and poems, contributing much to the development of Luxembourg culture. One of his most important contributions to Luxembourg's identity was his Abreisskalender or Tear-Off Calendar, a daily column he contributed from 1913 to 1940 to the "Luxembuger Zeitung", commenting on items of local cultural interest.
An important literary figure in the early 20th century was Nikolaus Welter (1871–1951), who addressed Luxembourg issues in his German-language plays including Die Söhne des Öslings (1904) and as a poet in Hochofen (1913). Welter is also regarded as Luxembourg's first literary historian.
Contemporary literature
After a rather quiet period following the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Anise Koltz
Anise Koltz
Anise Koltz is one of Luxembourg's major contemporary authors. Best known for her poetry and her translations of poetry, she has also written a number of children's stories...
(born 1928) began her literary career in the 1950s, initially writing fairy tales in German and Luxembourgish. However, in the 1970s, after the death of her husband who had been tortured by the Nazis, she turned exclusively to writing poetry in French. Her books have been widely published and translated into several languages. In 1998, she was awarded the Prix Guillaume Apollinaire
Prix Guillaume Apollinaire
-Winners:* 2010 : Jean-Marie Barnaud for Fragments d'un corps incertain * 2009 : Jacques Ancet for L'identité obscure * 2008 : Alain Borer for Icare & I don’t...
for Le mur du son. Koltz has done much to create interest in Luxembourg writers through her annual Journées littéraires de Mondorf (Mondorf Literary Days) which she launched in 1963. She is now widely considered the country's most important contemporary author,
Jean Portante
Jean Portante
Jean Portante is a Luxembourg poet, novelist, translator and journalist. He grew up in an Italian immigrant family but finally chose French as the language for his works....
(born 1950) is a successful contemporary poet and novelist, not just in Luxembourg but in the wider French-speaking world. Brought up in an Italian immigrant family, he chose French as the language for his works. While primarily known as a poet, he has also written short stories, plays, screenplays and novels. He has also translated the works of Juan Gelman
Juan Gelman
Juan Gelman is an Argentine poet. He has published more than twenty books of poetry since 1956. He won the Cervantes Prize in 2007, the most important in Spanish literature...
and Gonzalo Rojas
Gonzalo Rojas
Gonzalo Rojas Pizarro was a Chilean poet. His work is part of the continuing Latin American avant-garde literary tradition of the twentieth century.- Biography :...
into French. Jean Krier
Jean Krier
Jean Krier is a Luxembourg poet who in 2011 was awarded both the Adelbert von Chamisso Prize for the best work by a non-German author and the Servais Prize for the best literary work written by a Luxembourger. In both cases, the work in question was Herzens Lust Spiele...
, writing poetry in German, was awarded both the German Chamisso Prise and the Luxembourg Servais Prize
Servais Prize
The Servais Prize for Literature is a Luxembourgian literary award, awarded since 1992 by the Servais Foundation. It is judged by a jury, and can be bestowed upon any writer from Luxembourg, regardless of format or language.-List of laureates:...
in 2011 for his Herzens Lust Spiele.
Novels in Luxembourgish
Luxembourgish literature was long confined to poetry and the theatre, but in the 1980s, as a result of the movement to make Luxembourgish an official language, Guy RewenigGuy Rewenig
Guy Rewenig is a Luxembourg author and novelist. In 1985, he wrote the first novel in the Luxembourgish language although poems and theatrical works had appeared in the 19th century...
(born 1947) and Roger Manderscheid
Roger Manderscheid
Roger Manderscheid was a writer from Luxembourg. He won the Batty Weber Prize in 1990 for his literary work and the inaugural Servais Prize in 1992 for De Papagei um Käschtebam.-Reference:...
(1933–2010) both wrote novels in Luxembourgish. Rewenig's Hannert dem Atlantik (1985) broke new ground as the first novel written in the local language. Ostensibly the story of Jemp Medinger, a street sweeper, it is in fact a critical account of the problems of family life and the authoritarian structures of politics and society, adapting the "stream of consciousness" technique to experiments with the Luxembourgish lexicon.
Manderscheid's childhood trilogy Schacko klak, De papagei um kâschtebam and Feier a flam, published in 1988, surprisingly sold 3,000 copies. "Schacko klak" is in fact a kind of autobiography told by an outsider. The title is a play on words reminding the reader of both a top hat (from French) and a military helmet (from German) but it is simply a nickname for the author alluding to his rounded bald head. Manderscheid's book reveals the author's consciousness of language use in Luxembourg, describing comical incidents with German soldiers in the war as well as the rather artificial use of French based essentially on the language taught in the classroom. His use of Luxembourgish allows him to achieve this most effectively.
These initiatives led to a wider interest in writing novels in Luxembourgish. Among those published since 1990 are Frascht by Nico Helminger
Nico Helminger
Nico Helminger is a Luxembourg author who has written poetry, novels, plays and libretti for operas. In 2008, he was awarded the Batty Weber Prize for his literary work.-Biography:...
, Angscht virum Groussen Tunn, by Jean-Michel Treinen, Perl oder Pica by Jhemp Hoscheit
Jhemp Hoscheit
Jhemp Hoscheit is a Luxembourgian writer. He won the Servais Prize in 1999 for his book Perl oder Pica.-Reference:*...
, Iwwer Waasser by Georges Hausemer
Georges Hausemer
Georges Hausemer is a Luxembourg writer who has published short stories, novels, travelogues and non-fictional works and has also translated a considerable number of works from French, English, Spanish and Luxembourgish into German...
, and a number of novels by Josy Braun
Josy Braun
Josy Braun is a Luxembourg writer, journalist and translator who writes mainly in Luxembourgish.Braun has written plays both for adults and children and has also written children's stories...
including Porto fir d’Affekoten and Kréiwénkel.
Literature prizes
Luxembourg has two major literature prizes: the Servais PrizeServais Prize
The Servais Prize for Literature is a Luxembourgian literary award, awarded since 1992 by the Servais Foundation. It is judged by a jury, and can be bestowed upon any writer from Luxembourg, regardless of format or language.-List of laureates:...
which has been awarded annually since 1992 to a Luxembourg author for a specific work; and the Batty Weber Prize
Batty Weber Prize
The Batty Weber Prize or Prix Batty Weber is Luxembourg's national literary prize. It has been awarded every three years since 1987 to a Luxembourg writer for his entire literary work...
, considered to be the national literary prize, which has been awarded once every three years since 1987 to a Luxembourg author for his entire literary work.