Louise von François facts for kids
Marie Louise von François (born June 27, 1817, in Herzberg (Elster) – died September 25, 1893, in Weißenfels) was a German writer. She is most famous for her historical novel Die letzte Reckenburgerin (published in 1871). She was also friends with and wrote many letters to other well-known writers like Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach and Conrad Ferdinand Meyer.
Her Life Story
Louise von François was part of a writing style called realism. This means her stories tried to show life as it truly was. Her father was an officer from an old French noble family. Her mother came from German nobility.
Louise learned a lot by reading books on her own. She especially enjoyed the works of writers like Adolf Müllner and Fanny Tarnow. When she was young, her father passed away. Her mother then married several more times.
Later, Louise's uncle took care of her in Potsdam. This is where she started her journey as a writer. Sadly, her guardians spent all of her family's money. Because of this, her fiancé, Count Alfred of Görtz, ended their engagement.
Without any money, Louise moved back to live with her mother and stepfather. They lived in a town called Weißenfels. She stayed there for the rest of her life. When she was 54 years old, she published Die letzte Reckenburgerin. This book became her most popular novel.
Other famous writers, Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach and Conrad Ferdinand Meyer, admired her book greatly. They sent her letters praising Die letzte Reckenburgerin. This started a long friendship through letters. These letters were later published in a book in 1905.
Her Published Works
Marie Louise von François wrote many books. Here are some of her published works:
- Ausgewählte Novelle [Selected Short Stories], 1867.
- Die letzte Reckenburgerin [The Last Lady of Reckenburg], 1871. This was her most famous novel.
- Erzählungen [Stories], 1871.
- Frau Erdmuthens Zwillingssöhne [Mrs. Erdmuthen's Twin Sons], 1872.
- Geschichte der Preussischen Befreiungskriege [History of the Prussian Liberation War], 1813-1815. This was a history book.
- Ein Lesebuch für Schule und Haus [History of the Prussian War of Independence 1813-1815. A Reader for School and Home], 1873.
- Hellstadt und andere Erzählungen [Hellstadt and Other Stories], 1874.
- Natur und Gnade nebst anderen Erzählungen [Nature and Grace and Other Stories], 1876.
- Stufenjahre eines Glücklichen [The Pinnacle Years of a Fortunate One], 1879.
- Phosphorus Hollunder, 1881.
- Zu Füssen des Monarchen [At the Feet of the Monarchy], 1881.
- Der Posten der Frau. Lustspiel [The Situation of the Woman. A Comedy], 1882.
- Judith, die Kluswirthen [Judith, the Innkeeper's Wife], 1883.
- Das Jubliäum und andere Erzählungen [The Anniversary and Other Stories], 1886.
- Briefwechsel mit C.F. Meyer, hrsg. A. Bettelheim [Correspondence of C.F. Meyer, edited by A. Bettelheim], 1905. This book contained her letters with Conrad Ferdinand Meyer.
- Gesammelte Werke [Collected Works], 1918.
