Joseph Neuberg (writer) facts for kids

Joseph Neuberg (born May 21, 1806 – died March 23, 1867) was a writer and translator. He was born in Bavaria, a region in Germany, but later became an English citizen. Joseph Neuberg is best known for being the personal secretary to the famous writer Thomas Carlyle.

Joseph Neuberg's Early Life and Work

Joseph Neuberg was born in 1806 in a city called Würzburg in Bavaria. His family was Jewish. He started his career working for a trading company in Hamburg, another German city. Later, he moved to England and took on an important job in Nottingham.

Neuberg cared a lot about the well-being of working people. He became the president of the People's College. This college helped ordinary people get an education. He also led the literary part of the Nottingham Mechanics' Institution. This was a place where people could learn new skills and read books.

On June 16, 1845, Joseph Neuberg became an English citizen. This meant he had all the rights of someone born in England. From 1850 to 1853, he studied at the University of Bonn in Germany.

Working with Thomas Carlyle

Joseph Neuberg met the famous American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1848. Emerson then introduced Neuberg to the well-known Scottish writer, Thomas Carlyle. In 1849, Neuberg started working for Carlyle as a secretary. He did this job without pay, simply because he believed in Carlyle's work.

In 1852, Neuberg went on a trip with Carlyle. They visited the battlefields where Frederick the Great had fought. Frederick the Great was a famous king of Prussia. Carlyle was writing a biography, or life story, about him.

Neuberg returned to England in 1853 and continued to help Carlyle. In 1865, Carlyle finished his long biography of Frederick the Great. He dedicated one of the last books to Joseph Neuberg. This showed how much Carlyle appreciated Neuberg's help.

Neuberg also translated some of Carlyle's books into German. In 1853, he translated Carlyle's book On Heroes and Hero-Worship. He also started translating Carlyle's big biography of Frederick the Great. Sadly, Joseph Neuberg passed away in 1867 before he could finish this translation.