Otto Keller (writer)

Otto Keller (born September 2, 1875 in Stuttgart ; † March 26, 1931 ibid) was a dialect Swabian writer and composer .

Life

Otto Keller was born on September 2, 1875 in Stuttgart as the son of the married couple Gustav Keller and Pauline, née Schrempf. His father died when Otto was just six years old. Together with his older brother Eugen he attended the Friedrich-Eugen-Realschule (today: Friedrich-Eugens-Gymnasium ) in his hometown. Even as a schoolboy he stood out for his poems, with which he caricatured some of his teachers , and for his great musicality .

After graduating from secondary school , Keller completed an apprenticeship as a businessman. In 1894 he finished his studies at the Technical University of Stuttgart with the first state examination . He then found a job in Heilbronn as a road and hydraulic engineer.

In 1898 Otto Keller had to get over his mother's death. In the same year he and his brother Eugen published some poems for the first time in various newspapers and magazines. At the age of 30 he married Elisa Esser, who was only a few days younger in Zurich , where he now lived. In 1913 Otto Keller returned to Stuttgart with his family - two daughters had been born in the meantime.

By 1916, Keller had written so many poems that he intended to publish them. However, the search for a publisher turned out to be difficult. After a long search, he found EG Wegener-Verlag in Stuttgart in 1917, which took the risk. Although this publisher specialized in school books, Keller benefited from the fact that the publisher was not allowed to print anything school-related during the First World War. “ Schnitz ond Zwetschga ” was the name of his first booklet, which appeared shortly before Christmas. Nobody had expected the sales success that followed. By 1930 he had made ten books.

Besides writing, his love was music. The joy of singing just wouldn't let go of him - even later, when his health was no longer good. He was active in several choral societies and set several of his poems to music for them. His best-known song, which is still sung a lot today, became "I, if I had money, o dees would be schee", which Willy Reichert loved to sang and which is now part of the repertoire of Mr. Stumpfes Zieh & Zupf Kapelle , a well-known group in southern Germany.

From 1922 on, Keller stayed in the United States for a few years, initially alone and from 1923 on with his family . Swabians who had emigrated had organized lecture tours with appearances in many large cities. He was frenetically celebrated at his readings.

1924 was to be a fateful year for Keller: a serious car accident caused him to return to Germany. From now on he had to live in bad health until the end of his life.

Otto Keller died - at the age of only 55 - on March 26, 1931. He was buried in the Prague cemetery in Stuttgart .

meaning

Keller's books recorded high sales, especially between the two world wars, and he achieved fame, although his works - poems, humores, sayings and anecdotes - are mostly written in the Swabian dialect. If you add up all the editions of his works, he is right at the top of the charts of authors in Swabian dialect.

Keller's handwritten manuscripts are kept in the German Literature Archive in Marbach.

The "Schwäbische Merkur" said that Otto Keller hit the tune that people in and around Stuttgart like; he has an easy and quick manner and still something urban.

After one of his recitation evenings, which he enjoyed giving and often in his hometown, the Filder-Bote wrote: While a few salmon volleys were fired in the first part, the liberating gun pattered incessantly in the cheerful part. That was not just because of the “coffee wreath”, not just because of the “hard case”, but also because of all the splendid, splendid little cabinets that were excellently presented and ended with the “steam bath”.

Works

• 1917: Schnitz ond Zwetschga
• 1918: Sacha ond Sächla zom Lacha ond Brillela
• 1919: From meim Mauganeschtle
• 1920: Oineweg muschber
• 1921: Grillabatscher
• 1924: 's Weglaternle
• 1926: Heiligs Blechle
• 1928: Trutz not like that
• 1929: Nemms wias is coming
• 1930: Our true humorists

Deliverable editions

(all published by Verlag Karl Knödler Reutlingen)

• Sacha ond Sächla ( ISBN 3-87421-071-5 )
• Schnitz ond Zwetschga ( ISBN 3-87421-132-0 )
• 's End vom Liedle, unpublished items from his estate ( ISBN 3-87421-118-5 )

Web links

Wikisource: Otto Keller (writer)  - Sources and full texts

• Literature by and about Otto Keller in the catalog of the German National Library
• Sheet music and audio files from Otto Keller in the International Music Score Library Project
• Song by Otto Keller