Gustav Schwab

Gustav Benjamin Schwab (19 June 1792 – 4 November 1850) was a German writer, pastor and publisher.

Life[link]

Gustav Schwab was born in Stuttgart, the son of a professor and was introduced to the humanities early in life. After attending Gymnasium Illustre,^[1] he studied as a scholar of Tübinger Stift at Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, his first two years studying Philology and Philosophy, and thereafter Theology. While at university he established a literary club and became a close friend of Ludwig Uhland, Karl Varnhagen and Justinus Kerner, with whom he published a collection of poems under the title Deutscher Dichterwald.

In the spring of 1813, he made a journey to northern Germany, where he met Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Schleiermacher, Friedrich Rückert, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, Adelbert von Chamisso and others. In 1818 he became a high school teacher in Stuttgart, and in 1837 he started work as a pastor in Gomaringen, near Tübingen. In 1841, he moved back to Stuttgart, where he was first pastor and then from 1845 educational counselor for Stuttgart's high school system. In 1847 he received an honorary Doctorate from his old university.

Schwab's collection of myths and legends of antiquity, Sagen des klassischen Altertums, published from 1838 to 1840, was widely used at German schools and became very influential for the reception of classical antiquity in German classrooms.

In his later years, he traveled regularly to Überlingen am Bodensee to enjoy the waters at the city's spa;^[2] he died in Stuttgart in 1850.

Citations[link]

Works[link]

• Gedichte (1828)
• Das Buch der schönsten Geschichten und Sagen (1837)
• Sagen des klassischen Altertums (1838–1840)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gustav Schwab

• http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/autoren/schwab.htm (German)

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Michael Sommer (2010)

Michael Sommer (born January 15, 1952) is a German trade unionist leader and the chairman of the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB) since 2002.

Born in Büderich, now part of Meerbusch, North Rhine-Westphalia, Sommer studied political sciences at Free University of Berlin from 1971 to 1980. He has been a member of the German Post Trade Union, which became part of ver.di in 2001, since 1971. After his final degree, Sommer worked for the trade union. He climbed the ladder in the trade union becoming chairman of ver.di on March 18, 2001. A year later on May 28, he was elected chairman of the DGB.

References[link]

This article incorporates information from the revision as of October 21, 2006 of the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

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Heinz Erhardt

Heinz Erhardt (20 February 1909 in Riga – 5 June 1979 in Hamburg) was a German comedian, musician, entertainer, actor, and poet.

Heinz Erhardt was the son of Baltic German Kapellmeister Gustl Erhardt. He lived most of his childhood at his grandparents in Riga, where his grandfather, Paul Nelder, owned a music house. His grandfather also taught him how to play the piano; Erhardt's wish to become a professional pianist was not supported by his grandparents who wanted him to work as a merchant.

In 1935, Erhardt married Gilda Zanetti. They had four children: Grit, Verena, Gero, and Marita. Gero Erhardt became a film director and cinematographer, and his grandson, Marek Erhardt, became an actor.

The spectacle wearer and non-swimmer Erhardt was drafted into the German navy during the Second World War, but only on the third call-up; he served as a pianist in the Marine orchestra and only handled weapons during his basic training.

After the Second World War he moved to Hamburg-Wellingsbüttel and from 1948 worked as a radio moderator at NWDR. From then on he became more and more famous for his countless pun poems. Also, he became an actor and a mime. In his films he always played a character that fit his stage persona as an entertainer and comedian. His roles were polite and slightly weird persons typical of the period of the Wirtschaftswunder or "economic miracle".

Heinz Erhardt suffered a stroke in 1971, which left him unable to speak or write. He was limited to reading and understanding the speech of others; these limitations ended his long career as an actor.

He was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz four days before his death in 1979.

Selected filmography[link]

• What Is the Matter with Willi? (1970)
• That Can't Shake Our Willi! (1970)
• Our Willi Is the Best (1971)
• Willi Manages The Whole Thing (1972)
• The Viking Who Became a Bigamist (1969)

External links[link]

• Heinz Erhardt at the Internet Movie Database

Biography on official Heinz Erhardt website

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