Friedrich Hebbel (1813–1863)

When Christian Friedrich Hebbel was born in 1813, his hometown was part of Denmark, now Germany, but all of his works are written in the German language. Hebbel grew up in poverty, and his existence remained difficult throughout most of his life. In his youth he often witnessed violent rows between his parents.

Hebbel is mainy remembered for his drama. The volume Erzählungen ("Stories") offers a representative selection of his prose works.

In "Meine Kindheit" (My Youth Hebbel describes how he show more grew up, but this prose fragment omits any references to violent scenes, as Hebbel wrote it down in the spirit of Goethe like an idyll "Wer sein Leben darstellt, der sollte (...) nur das Liebliche, Schöne, das Beschwichtigende und Ausgleichende, das sich auch noch in den dunkelsten Verhältnissen auffinden läßt, hervorheben und das Übrige auf sich beruhen lassen." Thus, "Meine Kindheit" is a very calm and balanced description of growing up in a village during the first quarter of the Nineteenth century.

However, the violence which so much must have impressed Hebbel's young mind found a place in his short stories. While the work of other authors of that period in Germany are dominated by descriptions of love and finer sensibilities, the short stories of Hebbel are dominated by violent emotions, such as hatred, envy, suspicion and anger. In "Barbier Zitterlein" the conflict between a father and his daughter's lover leads to the father's madness, while in "Anna' envy leads to a violent death. In the short story "Eine nacht im Jägerhause" the false impression of evil and mutual suspicion are the ingredients of the story. These oddly aggressive story elements make Hebbel's short stories unique among the literature of the Age of Sentiment.

In his early years, Hebbel worked on a novel, which he later reduced and edited, to be published as a novella in 1848, here included as "Schnock", also known as "Meister Schnock" or "Schnock: ein niederländisches Gemälde". The sub-title of the novel "A Dutch Painting" suggests the reader to imagine a scene in a public house such as by such as (Gerard) Douw or Jan Steen, paintings usually displaying a chaotic tableau of details. The story is not set in the Netherlands, but in a non-descript German town. It is a frame narrative in which the main character Schnock tells about his life, which is full of capricious events and details. Hebbel's novella is of interest, as it form a literary equivalent of Kunstkammer or "Cabinet of curiosities" reflecting the capricious style of taste in the early Nineteenth Century all over Europe.

Included in this collection is also the fairy-tale "Der Rubin" (The Ruby), in which the style of Wilhelm Hauff can be recognized, a contemporary of Hebbel whom he met in Stuttgart on the way to Munich. Biographers have pointed out Hebbel's obsession with gemstones from his prolonged poverty, as the find or the loss of a single stone could alter a life's destiny. Hebbel later transformed this story into a play "Der Rubin" (The Ruby) (1851), and has written another play with the title "Der Diamant" (The Diamond) (1841).

Hebbel's stories have a medieval feel to them, probably because of their focus on poverty, and the capricious violence. show less

I read Maria Magdalena in a German literature class about 40 years ago and found it grimly realistic. The other two plays are historical dramas I have not read before, but more the kind of thing I prefer.

A very powerful piece, especially the forced duel at the end.

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