Justinus Kerner facts for kids

Justinus Kerner in old age

Justinus Andreas Christian Kerner (born September 18, 1786, in Ludwigsburg, Germany – died February 21, 1862, in Weinsberg, Germany) was a German poet, a doctor, and a medical writer. He was the first person to describe a serious illness called botulism in detail.

Life of Justinus Kerner

Justinus Kerner was born in Ludwigsburg, which was part of Württemberg at the time. He went to good schools in Ludwigsburg and Maulbronn. Later, he worked in a cloth factory. But in 1804, with help from Professor Karl Philipp Conz, he was able to go to the University of Tübingen.

He studied medicine there. He also spent time writing with friends like Ludwig Uhland and Gustav Schwab. He earned his doctor's degree in 1808. After traveling for a while, he became a doctor in Wildbad.

In Wildbad, he finished his book Reiseschatten von dem Schattenspieler Luchs (1811). This book shared his own experiences in a funny way. He then worked with Uhland and Schwab on a poetry book called Poetischer Almanach in 1812. After that came Deutscher Dichterwald (1813). Some of Kerner's best poems were in these books.

In 1815, he became a district medical officer in Gaildorf. This was an official job as a doctor for a specific area. In 1818, he moved to Weinsberg, where he lived for the rest of his life.

His house in Weinsberg became a very popular place for writers to visit. The town gave him the land for his house, which was at the foot of the old Schloss Weibertreu castle. Everyone was welcome there. Even Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden, a king, visited with a backpack! Poets like Christian Friedrich Alexander von Württemberg and Nikolaus Lenau were often guests.

In 1826, a woman named Friederike Hauffe came to stay. She was known as the "Seeress of Prevorst." She was a sleepwalker and was believed to have special powers to see things others couldn't. Kerner wrote a famous book about her called Die Seherin von Prevorst (The Seeress of Prevorst). This book talked about human inner life and how a spirit world might connect with ours.

In 1826, he published a collection of his poems called Gedichte. Later, he added more poems in Der letzte Blütenstrauß (1852) and Winterblüten (1859). Some of his well-known poems include the lovely song Der reichste Fürst, a drinking song called Wohlauf, noch getrunken, and the thoughtful Wanderer in der Sägemühle.

Justinus Kerner's autograph, showing his interest in klecksography (inkblot art).

Besides his poems, Kerner also wrote popular medical books. He wrote about "animal magnetism," which was a belief about a natural energy transfer. He also wrote the first detailed book about sebacic acid and botulism. This book was called Das Fettgift oder die Fettsäure und ihre Wirkung auf den tierischen Organismus (1822). He also described Wildbad and its healing waters in Das Wildbad im Königreich Württemberg (1813).

Kerner wrote about his childhood in Bilderbuch aus meiner Knabenzeit (1859). He also showed his skill in writing history with Die Bestürmung der württembergischen Stadt Weinsberg im Jahre 1525 (1820).

In 1851, he had to stop being a doctor because he was losing his eyesight. He lived in Weinsberg, cared for by his daughters, until he passed away. He was buried next to his wife, who had died in 1854. Their grave in Weinsberg has a stone with words he chose himself: Friederike Kerner und ihr Justinus.

Justinus Kerner and George Rapp

In his book Bilderbuch aus meiner Knabenzeit, Kerner remembered George Rapp visiting his father. Kerner's father had helped protect Rapp from religious problems with the authorities in Germany. Kerner clearly remembered Rapp and his long black beard.

George Rapp and his followers left Germany in 1803. They moved to the United States and started a group called the Harmony Society. Kerner's book Die Seherin von Prevorst made a big impression on the Harmony Society members in 1829. They saw the story of Kerner's connection with Friederike Hauffe (who was said to have visions and healing powers) as a sign. They believed it confirmed their religious ideas about the world's end and a new beginning.

The Saw (A Poem by Justinus Kerner)

The poem The Saw was translated into English by William Cullen Bryant. It was published in Graham's Magazine in 1848.

In yonder mill I rested,

And sat me down to look

Upon the wheel's quick glimmer.

And on the flowing brook.

As in a dream, before me,

The saw, with restless play,

Was cleaving through a fir-tree

Its long and steady way.

The tree through all its fibres

With living motion stirred,

And, in a dirge-like murmur,

These solemn words I heard—

Oh, thou, who wanderest hither,

A timely guest thou art!

For thee this cruel engine

Is passing through my heart.

When soon, in earth's still bosom,

Thy hours of rest begin,

This wood shall form the chamber

Whose walls shall close thee in.

Four planks—I saw and shuddered—

Dropped in that busy mill;

Then, as I tried to answer,

At once the wheel was still.

See also

In Spanish: Justinus Kerner para niños