Gustav von Franck

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Gustav Ritter von Franck , pseudonym: Dr. Fran (c) k , GF Rank , (born March 22, 1807 in Vienna , † January 8, 1860 in London ) was an Austrian writer , editor and painter .

life and work

Gustav Ritter von Franck was born on March 22, 1807 in Vienna as the son of the banker, merchant and Lower Austrian provincial government Johann Jakob Ritter von Franck and his wife Anna Maria, née Graumann.

The family of Franck came from the father's side at that time in the Swiss Confederation nearby Mulhouse . Gustav's grandfather, Johann Jakob Franck, patrician and member of the great council of the city of Mulhouse, married Rosina von Fries, thirteen years younger than Baron Philipp von Fries, whose brother Johann von Fries was one of the richest men, on November 8th, 1771 was valid for his time. Johann Jakob Franck emigrated to Austria with his wife and bought into the tobacco trade there. For this he was knighted by Empress Maria Theresa . From now on Johann Jakob and all of his descendants were allowed to use the title 'von Franck' and a knightly family coat of arms.

Franck's father, the wholesaler, banker and art lover Johann Jakob von Franck, inherited not only the grandfather's title but also his fortune. The von Francks house was considered the center of intellectual intercourse in Vienna. Writers and musicians came and went, including Ludwig van Beethoven , who was among the guests during his stay in Vienna. He was not only a welcome guest of the Von Franck family, but was also a friend of the most famous pianist in Vienna at the time, Baroness Dorothea von Ertmann , Gustav's maternal aunt. Beethoven dedicated the Sonata in A major, Op . 101 to her .

Gustav von Franck received his doctorate in 1829 in Padua as a doctor of law (Dr. jur.). Financially independent, after the early death of his father, he only practiced the profession of a lawyer for a few months before working exclusively as a writer and editor. His literary production mainly includes plays, comedies and tragedies, poems, an autobiographical novel, journalistic texts and revolutionary writings.

While working as theater director at the Deutsches Theater in Pest (now part of Budapest), he met his future wife, the opera singer Sophie Wirnser, in 1842, who gave him a daughter, Melanie von Franck, in 1844. Because of his revolutionary activities in 1848 he had to flee Austria and tried to gain a foothold in Leipzig as the editor of the newspaper Wiener Boten . He was arrested on the pretext of a press trial and threatened with extradition to Austria. With the help of his wife Sophie he managed to escape from the Leipzig prison.

He fled to England via Holland and settled in London. There he began to secure his existence as a drawing teacher and portrait painter. A year later, his wife and daughter followed him into exile. After initial difficulties, Franck managed to make a reputation for himself as a playwright. In collaboration with William and Robert Brough, he performed two comedies at the Haymarket Theater and the Lyceum Theater . Contemporary reviews testify to the success of the pieces A Tale of a Coat and Kicks and Halfpence . Franck was also a founding member of the Savage Club on Whitehall Place, London, which still exists today .

Gustav von Franck died suddenly and unexpectedly on January 8, 1860, not, as noted in some literary encyclopedias, by suicide, but of an organic disease. He found his final resting place in Brookwood Cemetery.

Gustav's family returned to Germany via France three years later, in 1864. Part of the Franck family moved from Vienna to Graz, including Moritz Ritter von Franck (Mayor of Graz) and Alfred Ritter von Franck (painter, professor of the arts). His eldest brother Karl died in Paris in 1867.

Further family members of the Ritter von Franck family:

Works

  • Poems, poetry book. Vienna: Sollinger, 1828.
  • King Edward's sons. Tragedy in three acts. Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1835.
  • Belisarius. Lyric tragedy. Vienna: Gerold, 1836
  • Dramatic time images. Two plays. Leipzig: Wigand, 1837.
  • Paperback of Dramatic Originals. Leipzig: Brockhaus, 1837–1842.
  • The Tale of a Coat. Comedy. London 1858.
  • Kicks and Halfpence. Comedy. London around 1858.
  • Messages from the papers of a Viennese doctor. Leipzig: Wigand, 1864.

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literature

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personal data
SURNAME Franck, Gustav von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dr. Frank (pseudonym); Dr. Franck (pseudonym); Rank, GF (pseudonym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian writer, editor and painter
DATE OF BIRTH March 22, 1807
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH January 8, 1860
Place of death London