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Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

Born

1622, Gelnhausen, Germany

Died

August 17, 1676

Genre

Literature & Fiction

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Grimmelshausen was born at Gelnhausen. At the age of ten he was kidnapped by Hessian soldiery, and in their midst tasted the adventures of military life in the Thirty Years' War. At its close, Grimmelshausen entered the service of Franz Egon von Fürstenberg, bishop in Straßburg and in 1665 was made Schultheiss (magistrate) at Renchen in Baden.

On obtaining this appointment, he devoted himself to literary pursuits, and in 1668 published Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus Teutsch, d.h. die Beschreibung des Lebens eines seltsamen Vaganten, genannt Melchior Sternfels von Fuchsheim, the greatest German novel of the 17th century. For this work he took as his model the picaresque romances of Spain, already to some extent known in Germany. Simpliciss Grimmelshausen was born at Gelnhausen. At the age of ten he was kidnapped by Hessian soldiery, and in their midst tasted the adventures of military life in the Thirty Years' War. At its close, Grimmelshausen entered the service of Franz Egon von Fürstenberg, bishop in Straßburg and in 1665 was made Schultheiss (magistrate) at Renchen in Baden.

On obtaining this appointment, he devoted himself to literary pursuits, and in 1668 published Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus Teutsch, d.h. die Beschreibung des Lebens eines seltsamen Vaganten, genannt Melchior Sternfels von Fuchsheim, the greatest German novel of the 17th century. For this work he took as his model the picaresque romances of Spain, already to some extent known in Germany. Simplicissimus is in great measure its author's autobiography; he begins with the childhood of his hero, and describes the latter's adventures amid the stirring scenes of the Thirty Years' War. The rustic detail with which these pictures are presented makes the book one of the most valuable documents of its time. In the later parts Grimmelshausen, however, over-indulges in allegory, and finally loses himself in a Robinson Crusoe story.

The historian Robert Ergang, however, draws upon Gustav Könnecke's Quellen und Forschungen zur Lebensgeschichte Grimmelshausens to convey the assertion that "the events related in the novel Simplicissimus could hardly have been autobiographical since [Grimmelshausen] lived a peaceful existence in quiet towns and villages on the fringe of the Black Forest and that the material he incorporated in his work was not taken from actual experience, but was either borrowed from the past, collected from hearsay, or created by a vivid imagination."

Among his other works, the most important are the so-called Simplicianische Schriften:

* Die Ertzbetrügerin and Landstörtzerin Courasche (1669)
* Der seltsame Springinsfeld (1670)
* Das wunderbarliche Vogelnest (1672)

His satires, such as Der teutsche Michel (1670), and gallant novels, like Dietwald und Amelinde (1670) are of inferior interest. He died at Renchen on August 17, 1676, where a monument was erected to him in 1779.

Grimmelshausen's Landstörtzerin Courasche became an important inspiration for Bertolt Brecht´s play Mutter Courage. ...more

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Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen’s books

Average rating: 3.72 · 3,159 ratings · 254 reviews · 150 distinct works • Similar authors

	Simplicissimus 3.71 avg rating — 2,859 ratings — published 1669 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Life of Courage: The notorious Thief, Whore and Vagabond 3.68 avg rating — 239 ratings — published 1670 — 84 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Der Abentheurliche Simplicissimus Teutsch Und Continuatio Des Abentheurlichen Simplicissimus: Abdruck Der Beiden Erstausg. (1669) Mit Den Varianten Der Ihnen Sprachlich Nahestehenden Ausgaben by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (Editor), Rolf Tarot (Editor) 3.81 avg rating — 26 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	La Pícara Coraje & Encuentro en Telgte by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, Günter Grass really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 16 ratings — published 2009 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Tearaway 3.62 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1670 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Courasche / Springinsfeld / Wunderbarliches Vogelnest I und II / Rathstübel Plutonis by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, Dieter Breuer (Herausgeber) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 8 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Continuation of Simplicissimus by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, Mike Mitchell (Translator) 3.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 1669 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Das wunderbarliche Vogel-Nest 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 1672 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Simplicius Simplicissims (Band 1) 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Grimmelshausens Werke: In vier Bänden really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 1960 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen…

Series by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

Simplicianische Zyklus (6 books)
by

Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

3.71 avg rating — 3,162 ratings

Das wunderbarliche Vogel-Nest (2 books)
by

Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings

Quotes by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen (?)

“So perfect and complete was my ignorance that it was impossible for me to know that I knew nothing.”
― Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, Simplicissimus

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“Although I had managed to escape from the goose-coop, I now realized the full extent of my misfortune, for I had shitted my trousers and did not know what to do about it.”
― Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, Simplicissimus

2 likes

“This much I know for certain: dancing can lead to transactions that whole families have cause to be ashamed of.”
― Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen, Der Abentheurliche Simplicissimus Teutsch Und Continuatio Des Abentheurlichen Simplicissimus: Abdruck Der Beiden Erstausg. (1669) Mit Den Varianten Der Ihnen Sprachlich Nahestehenden Ausgaben

tags: dancing

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