JOHANN WILHELM

LUDWIG

See also:

• JOHANN WILHELM LUDWIG GLEIM (1719-1803)

GLEIM (1719-1803)  , German poet, was born on the 2nd of April 1719 at Ermsleben, near Halberstadt . Having studied law at the university of Halle he became secretary to Prince William of Brandenburg-Schwedt at Berlin, where he made the acquaintance of Ewald von Kleist, whose devoted friend he became . When the prince fell at the battle of Prague, Gleim became secretary to Prince Leopold of Dessau; but he soon gave up his position, not being able to bear the roughness of the " Old Dessauer." After residing a few years in Berlin he was appointed, in 1747, secretary of the cathedral chapter at Halberstadt . " Father Gleim " was the title accorded to him throughout all literary Germany on account of his kind-hearted though inconsiderate and undiscriminating patronage alike of the poets and poetasters of the period . He wrote a large number of feeble imitations of Anacreon, Horace and the minnesingers, a dull didactic poem entitled Halladat oder das rote Buch (1774), and collections of fables and romances . Of higher merit are his Preussische Kriegslieder von einem Grenadier (1758) . These, which were inspired by the campaigns of Frederick II., are often distinguished by genuine feeling and vigorous force of expression . They are also noteworthy as being the first of that long series of noble political songs in which later German literature is so rich . With this exception, Gleim's writings are for the most part tamely commonplace in thought and expression . He died at Halberstadt on the 18th of February 1803 . Gleim's Samtliche Werke appeared in 7 vols. in the years 181'-1813; a reprint of the Lieder eines Grenadiers was published by A . Sauer in 1882 .

A

good selection of Gleim's poetry will be found in F . Muncker, Anakreontiker and preussisch-patriotische Lyriker (1894) . See W . Korte, Gleims Leben aus seinen Briefen and Schriften (1811) . His correspondence with Heinse was published in 2 vols . (1894-1896), with Uz (1889), in both cases edited by C . Schuddekopf .