THEODOR WOLDSEN

STORM (1817-1888)  , German poet and novelist, was born at Husum, in Schleswig, on the 14th` of September 1817 . Having studied jurisprudence at Kiel and Berlin, where he formed a close friendship with the brothers Theodor and Tycho Mommsen, he settled in his native town as advocate; but, owing to his German sympathies, lost his post 111 1853 . Entering the Prussian service as assessor at Potsdam. he was appointed district judge at Heiligenstadt . After the 1 In that country its numbers are said to have greatly diminished since about 1858, when a disastrous spring storm overtook the homeward-bound birds . The like is to be said of Holland since about 186o . 2 To consult its convenience a stage of some kind, often a cart-wheel, is in many places set up and generally occupied by successive generations of tenants . 3 Its common Dutch name is Ooijevaar, which can be traced through many forms (Koolmann, Worterb. d. ostfries . Sprache, i.'8, sub voce " Adebar ") to the old word Odeboro (" the bringer of good ") . In countries where the stork is abundant it enters, largely into popular tales, songs and proverbs, and from the days of Aesop has been a favourite in fable . Danish War of 1864 Storm returned to Husum, and after filling various judicial appointments in the district, retired on a pension and died at Hademarschen on the 4th of July 1888 . Storm is hardly less remarkable as a lyric poet than as a novelist . As the former, he made his debut, with the two Mommsens, with Liederbuch dreier Freunde (1843); but his Gedichte (1852; 12th edition, 1900) first obtained for him general recognition .

As a novelist he gained his first

great success with Immensee (1852; 51St edition, 1901); and this was followed by numerous other short stories . He was never weary of painting the scenes of rustic simplicity and the quiet joys of the simple life . He is at his best when dealing retrospectively with episodes and incidents from his own earlier life . Later he passed to psychological problems with Aquis submersus (1877) and Zur Chronik von Grieshuus (1884), and made a deep impression with his fantastic Schimmelreiter (1888) . Storm's Gesammelte Schriften appeared in 19 vols. between 1868 and 1889; new edition in 8 vols . (1898) . His correspondence with E . Morike was published in 1891, with G . Keller in 1904 . See E . Schmidt, Charakteristiken, i . (1886); also P .

Schutze, Theodor Storm, sein Leben and

seine Dichtung (1887) ; F . Wehl, Theodor Storm, ein Bild seines Lebens and Schaffens (1888); A . Biese, Th . Storm and der moderne Realismus (1888) ; and P . Remer, Theodor Storm als norddeutscher Dichter (1897) .