Moritz Gottlieb Saphir
Encyclopedia
Moritz Gottlieb Saphir, born Moses Saphir (8 February 1795 in Lovasberény
near Székesfehérvár
– 5 September 1858 in Baden bei Wien
) was an Austrian satirical writer and journalist.
all Jewish subjects had been required to take a family name, and Israel Saphir was the first in the family to use that surname. Moses was sent to the yeshiva
in Bratislava
to become a rabbi
. At the age of eleven he fell out with his family and made a risky journey to Prague
to attend that city's yeshiva instead.
Shortly afterwards he encountered mainstream European literature and began to study English, German, and the Romance languages. In 1814 his family removed all financial support and he was forced to return home. Nevertheless he was allowed some time later to travel to Pest, Hungary in order to study Latin and Greek. It was in Pest that he embarked on a literary career. His first book, Poetische Erstlinge (1821), was received with enthusiasm. He was invited to Vienna
by the publisher Adolf Bäuerle to write for the Wiener Theaterzeitung. However, Saphir's merciless reviews and essays were so unpopular that in 1825 he was sacked, whereupon he left for Berlin
, where he edited the arts pages of the Berliner Schnellpost für Literatur, Theater und Geselligkeit, also contributing to the Berliner Courier and Berliner Theateralmanachs auf das Jahr 1828.
On 3 December 1827 he founded the Tunnel über der Spree
literary society, as a kind of "personal bodyguard" according to Theodor Fontane
. However, as an eloquent satirist he made more enemies in Berlin, and his prominent associates in the society could not (or eventually, would not) always help him out of scrapes. The playwright Kurt Schall challenged him to a duel, and a satirical poem about Henriette Sontag
in the Spenerschen Zeitung even led to a short term of imprisonment.
In 1829, he went to Munich
where he helped found Der Bazar (1830) and Der deutsche Horizont (1831). Once again his satires (in this case an attack on the Bavarian royalty) resulted in imprisonment and deportation. Fleeing to Paris, he quickly achieved fame through a series of lectures, and he received an invitation from Louis Philippe I, but he returned to Bavaria in 1831 and took over the editorship of the Bayerische Beobachter. The following year he converted to Protestantism
, and his apologetic manner and newfound restraint resulted in official forgiveness, and even an appointment as a functionary in the Royal Bavarian Court Theatre.
In 1834 he returned to Vienna, which was to remain his main residence for the rest of his life. He was forbidden to start his own newspaper, and worked instead for the Theaterzeitung. On 1 January 1837 the ban was lifted and on the same day he founded Der Humorist (1837-1862), a daily satirical publication which he edited until his death in 1858. During the Revolution of 1848 he became the first head of a Revolutionary Writers' Association, but with the continuation of unrest he resigned and retreated to Baden
until the situation had resolved. The restraint displayed in his later work meant that a new generation of writers began to see him as "reactionary". His enmity towards Johann Nestroy
and friendship with Ignaz Franz Castelli
are well-known. He also made lecture tours throughout Germany, France and Austria. After returning from one such trip he separated from his wife.
In the summer of 1858 he travelled to Baden
, where he died on 5 September at the age of 63. His last words were "Now all is over, I have to go." The executor of his will was Friedrich Hebbel. He was buried in the Protestant cemetery Matzleindorf (1/168) in Vienna.
Lovasberény
Lovasberény is a village in Fejér county, Hungary.- External links :*...
near Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár
Székesfehérvár is a city in central Hungary and is the 9th largest in the country. Located around southwest of Budapest. It is inhabited by 101,973 people , with 136,995 in the Székesfehérvár Subregion. The city is the centre of Fejér county and the regional centre of Central Transdanubia...
– 5 September 1858 in Baden bei Wien
Baden bei Wien
-Points of interest:The town offers several parks and a picturesque surrounding, of which the most frequented is the Helenental valley. Not far from Baden, the valley is crossed by a widespread aqueduct of the Vienna waterworks...
) was an Austrian satirical writer and journalist.
Life
Saphir was the son of the merchant Gottlieb (Israel) Saphir and his wife Charlotte Brüll. During the reign of Joseph IIJoseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
all Jewish subjects had been required to take a family name, and Israel Saphir was the first in the family to use that surname. Moses was sent to the yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
to become a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
. At the age of eleven he fell out with his family and made a risky journey to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
to attend that city's yeshiva instead.
Shortly afterwards he encountered mainstream European literature and began to study English, German, and the Romance languages. In 1814 his family removed all financial support and he was forced to return home. Nevertheless he was allowed some time later to travel to Pest, Hungary in order to study Latin and Greek. It was in Pest that he embarked on a literary career. His first book, Poetische Erstlinge (1821), was received with enthusiasm. He was invited to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
by the publisher Adolf Bäuerle to write for the Wiener Theaterzeitung. However, Saphir's merciless reviews and essays were so unpopular that in 1825 he was sacked, whereupon he left for Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where he edited the arts pages of the Berliner Schnellpost für Literatur, Theater und Geselligkeit, also contributing to the Berliner Courier and Berliner Theateralmanachs auf das Jahr 1828.
On 3 December 1827 he founded the Tunnel über der Spree
Tunnel über der Spree
Der Tunnel über der Spree was a German literary society based in Berlin, founded on 3 December 1827 by Moritz Gottlieb Saphir. Most active between 1840 and 1860, it acquired 214 members and influenced literary life in Berlin for more than seventy years....
literary society, as a kind of "personal bodyguard" according to Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane
Theodor Fontane was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist writer.-Youth:Fontane was born in Neuruppin into a Huguenot family. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an apothecary, his father's profession. He became an...
. However, as an eloquent satirist he made more enemies in Berlin, and his prominent associates in the society could not (or eventually, would not) always help him out of scrapes. The playwright Kurt Schall challenged him to a duel, and a satirical poem about Henriette Sontag
Henriette Sontag
Henriette Sontag was a German operatic soprano of great international renown. She possessed a sweet-toned, lyrical voice and was a brilliant exponent of florid singing.-Life:...
in the Spenerschen Zeitung even led to a short term of imprisonment.
In 1829, he went to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
where he helped found Der Bazar (1830) and Der deutsche Horizont (1831). Once again his satires (in this case an attack on the Bavarian royalty) resulted in imprisonment and deportation. Fleeing to Paris, he quickly achieved fame through a series of lectures, and he received an invitation from Louis Philippe I, but he returned to Bavaria in 1831 and took over the editorship of the Bayerische Beobachter. The following year he converted to Protestantism
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
, and his apologetic manner and newfound restraint resulted in official forgiveness, and even an appointment as a functionary in the Royal Bavarian Court Theatre.
In 1834 he returned to Vienna, which was to remain his main residence for the rest of his life. He was forbidden to start his own newspaper, and worked instead for the Theaterzeitung. On 1 January 1837 the ban was lifted and on the same day he founded Der Humorist (1837-1862), a daily satirical publication which he edited until his death in 1858. During the Revolution of 1848 he became the first head of a Revolutionary Writers' Association, but with the continuation of unrest he resigned and retreated to Baden
Baden bei Wien
-Points of interest:The town offers several parks and a picturesque surrounding, of which the most frequented is the Helenental valley. Not far from Baden, the valley is crossed by a widespread aqueduct of the Vienna waterworks...
until the situation had resolved. The restraint displayed in his later work meant that a new generation of writers began to see him as "reactionary". His enmity towards Johann Nestroy
Johann Nestroy
Johann Nepomuk Eduard Ambrosius Nestroy was a singer, actor and playwright in the popular Austrian tradition of the Biedermeier period and its immediate aftermath...
and friendship with Ignaz Franz Castelli
Ignaz Franz Castelli
Ignaz Franz Castelli was an Austrian dramatist born in Vienna. He studied law at the university, and then entered the government service....
are well-known. He also made lecture tours throughout Germany, France and Austria. After returning from one such trip he separated from his wife.
In the summer of 1858 he travelled to Baden
Baden bei Wien
-Points of interest:The town offers several parks and a picturesque surrounding, of which the most frequented is the Helenental valley. Not far from Baden, the valley is crossed by a widespread aqueduct of the Vienna waterworks...
, where he died on 5 September at the age of 63. His last words were "Now all is over, I have to go." The executor of his will was Friedrich Hebbel. He was buried in the Protestant cemetery Matzleindorf (1/168) in Vienna.
Works
- Poetische Erstlinge (1821)
- Konditorei des Jokus (1828)
- Dumme Briefe (1834)
- Deklamatorische Soirée (1858)
Newspapers founded
- Mitternachtsblatt für den Sternenhimmel der Laune und des Humors (1830)
- Der deutsche Horizont. Ein humoristisches Blatt für Zeit, Geist und Sitte (Jaquet, München, 1.1831-4.1834)
- Der Humorist. Eine Zeitschrift für Scherz und Ernst, Kunst, Theater, Geselligkeit und Sitte (Bolte, Wien, 1.1837-25.1862), sometimes accompanied by a Humoristisch-satyrischer Volkskalender (1.1851-8.1858). Information and facsimiles provided by ANNO
External links
- Moritz Gottlieb Saphir beim eLibrary Austria Projekt (eLib Volltexte)
- Biography on the website of the new Der Humorist