Johann Heinrich Waser (translator)
Johann Heinrich Waser , also Johann von Breitenfels (pseudonym) and Johann Heinrich Waser von Winterthur (born September 17, 1713 in Veltheim (now part of Winterthur), † December 23, 1777 in Winterthur ), was a Swiss deacon , translator , writer and Scout .
Life
Johann Heinrich Waser was ordained in 1733. He worked first as a private tutor to the Bernese bailiff Samuel von Muralt in Sargans and as vicar in Veltheim, then in Zurich (where he co-founded the Natural Research Society in Zurich ) and from 1746 as a deacon in Winterthur. Waser became known less for his own literary productions than for his translations of classic ancient authors such as Lukian and English authors such as William Shakespeare , Samuel Butler and Jonathan Swift .
Waser's particular interest was in satirical authors. Waser was in correspondence with leading German-speaking Enlightenmentists of his time such as Johann Georg Sulzer and was personally known to Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock , Johann Jakob Bodmer and Johann Caspar Lavater . A gift from Waser's translation of Shakespeare's works by the Zurich publisher Conrad Orell prompted Ulrich Bräker to give his enthusiastic reception of Shakespeare: “Something about Shakespeare's plays”.
Waser was a close friend of Martin Künzli (1709–1765), who had been a teacher in Winterthur since 1728, and was rector from 1760 until his death.
Works
- Moral observations and judgments , Orell and Comp., Zurich 1757 (together with Martin Künzli)
- Letters from two country pastors , 1749
literature
- Sigisbert Bueler: JH Waser 1713-1777, deacon in Winterthur, as translator of the "Hudibras" by S. Butler ; a contribution from translation in Switzerland . Paulusdruckerei, Freiburg / CH 1932 (plus dissertation, University of Freiburg / CH).
- Theodor Vetter: Johann Heinrich Waser, deacon in Winterthur, a mediator of English literature on a commission from Fäsi Beer, Zurich 1898.
Web links
- Romy Günthart: Waser, Johann Heinrich. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Waser, Johann Heinrich |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Breitenfels, Johann von (pseudonym); Waser of Winterthur, Johann Heinrich |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss deacon, translator, writer and educator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 17, 1713 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Veltheim |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 23, 1777 |
| Place of death | Winterthur |