Franziska Bram

Franziska Barbara Josephina Bram , also active under the pseudonym Luise von Endeers , (born October 26, 1860 in Hillesheim , † June 12, 1932 in Lehmen ) was a German poet and writer .

Life

Franziska Bram was born as the daughter of the judge Franz Gottfried Bram and his wife Josephina Anna Bram, née Veling, in Hillesheim (Eifel). After her father was transferred to Mayen in 1861, Franziska Bram grew up in her grandparents' house in Hillesheim, but occasionally also lived with her parents in Koblenz . Her aunt, who taught Franziska Bram not only the art of storytelling, but also the middle-class way of life and religious values, took care of her upbringing. In addition to her aunt, her sister Luise (* 1859, † 1918), who also worked as a writer under the name Luise Schulze-Brück , had a great influence on Franziska Bram and the two siblings were lifelong friends. As an adult, Franziska Bram followed her sister to Bingen around 1890, where Luise lived after the wedding with the freight forwarder Brück and, according to sources, spent 8 years there. The brother-in-law died in 1892 and the sister married a writer named Schulze from Berlin in 1898 or 1900 . Again Luise moved to her husband's hometown and again Franziska followed her, who lived in Berlin for almost 15 years. In 1912 the two finally moved with their other two sisters to Lehmen on the Mosel, where Franziska Bram died in 1932.

Franziska Bram never lost the connection to her home village Hillesheim over the years, which is proven by frequent visits and is also reflected in her works. Among other things, she wrote about the time at home: “I had the strongest impressions of my life in the Eifel; not only from nature, but also from people ”. She speaks positively of the "fresh, delicious Eifel air that only exists once".

In addition to novels that appeared between 1906 and 1917, Franziska Bram also published short stories , for example in the newspaper of the Eifelverein , of which her father was a co-founder, or in the Kölnische Volkszeitung . In addition, she wrote numerous short stories, which also appeared in newspapers or as anthologies.

Services

Novels are her strengths, three of which Franziska Bram published in her early days (1907 to 1910) under the pseudonym Luise von Endeers. "The Wrath of God" from 1913 is described as particularly impressive; a cultural novel which also served as the basis for the poet's novellas . For example, through “Der Eulenspiegel von Rauhenstein”, a story about a church robbery that appeared in an Eifel calendar, Franziska Bram also showed that she was an excellent narrator.

Decisive for her work were the strong Catholic faith , the commitment to equal rights for women and the love for home. Social criticism is a big topic for the writer, who delicately sketched her characters psychologically and presented them with great language. The life's work of the poet is also described as the goal of bringing Christian neighborly love with its rights and obligations closer to others and recognizing the homeland as an important basis for life. In the novel "Der Zorn Gottes" (The Wrath of God) she addressed the position of women in the rural and rural Eifel around 1900 and provided a representation of the social upheaval during this time. The heroine of the novel is an example of the change from the dependency on independence of women in the Eifel culture of that time. By taking up the subject of guilt and penance in “Der Eulenspiegel von Rauhenstein”, she wanted to live up to the great responsibility of a writer towards other people.

Appreciation

Although she was highly valued in her time as a local poet, the writer was hardly known in the places where she lived and worked until a few years ago. Recently, however, a Franziska Bram Circle of Friends was formed in Berndorf , a neighboring village of Hillesheim, whose activities have brought the author's work more into the public eye. In Hillesheim itself at least one plaque reminds of the birthplace of Franziska and Luise Bram. On the occasion of her 150th birthday in 2010, a festival week with readings, an accompanying exhibition and other events took place in her home village for the first time. Few works by Franziska Bram or her sister Luise are still available today, as these have not been published since the 1920s. It was not until 2008 that individual new editions appeared, which are available from the aforementioned circle of friends.

Works

• The company, Roman. 1906
• Hengstenberg & Cie. 1906
• Mayor Jörensen's daughters, Roman (Luise v. Endeers). Bachem-Verlag, Cologne 1907
• Vohwinkels Drei, Roman (Luise v. Endeers). Bachem-Verlag, Cologne 1909
• At the end of the world, novel (Luise v. Endeers). Bachem-Verlag, Cologne 1910
• The Cell of Justice, three short stories (The Cell of Justice, The Beautiful Melusine, The Eating Penny). Cologne 1912
• The arsonist. 1912
• The Wrath of God, novel. 1913 (new edition: 1921)
• The call of life, novel. 1917 (new edition: 1922)
• The master, Roman. 1917 (new edition: 1921)
• On the Street of the Seekers, three short stories (On the Street of the Seekers, The Shadow, Winter's Tale). 1920

New editions

• From the youth paradise, story. 2008
• Eifel markets, story. 2009
• The cell of justice, narrative. 2010

literature

• Faber, Alois: Franziska Bram, an almost forgotten poet, contribution to the Vulkaneifel yearbook (2001)
• Franziska Bram Circle of Friends: From her life, http://www.franziskabram.de/biografie.html
• Kosch, Wilhelm: The Catholic Germany, Biographical-Bibliographical Lexicon (1933)

Web links

• circle of friends
• Contribution to the yearbook Vulkaneifel 2001
• Article in the Kölner Stadtanzeiger
• Festival week for the 150th birthday of Franziska Bram
• Entry for Franziska Bram in the Rhineland-Palatinate personal database