Peter Zirbes (poet)

Peter Zirbes

Peter Zirbes (born January 10, 1825 in Niederkail ; † November 14, 1901 in Niederkail) was a German traveling "singer" (poet) and Jenischer .

Life

Zirbes is considered the first Eifel poet. As a child he accompanied his parents, poor peddlers, on their hikes. He could only go to school in winter. After leaving school, Zirbes continued his parents' peddler trade. As a child he was an avid reader and draftsman.

At the age of 20 he began to forge his verses as a wandering earthenware dealer, for which he earned only incomprehension and ridicule in his surroundings. A collection of poems published in 1852 found good sales. Zirbes turned down educational offers that were brought to him because he had to look after his sick parents.

After the decline of the peddler trade, Zirbes tried to build up an existence as "author, publisher and subscriber collector in one person". He also tried unsuccessfully as a grocer , part-time farmer and insurance agent. In addition to numerous poems, Zirbes worked on the legends of his homeland in his later creative phase . Even if Zirbes did not manage to free himself from his poor circumstances, he found recognition from well-known personalities, including the poet Gustav Freytag .

literature

• Ute Bales : Peter Zirbes . Rhein-Mosel, Zell / Mosel 2010, ISBN 3-89801-048-1 .
• Martin Persch :  Zirbes, Peter. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 14, Bautz, Herzberg 1998, ISBN 3-88309-073-5 , Sp. 547-549.

Web links

• Literature by and about Peter Zirbes in the catalog of the German National Library
• Peter Zirbes on eifeltour.de
• Fig. The Eifel poet Peter Zirbes in front of his apartment in Niederkail, Wittlich district (Eifel calendar for 1938, p. 60)
• Eifel sagas and poems, scan at the Rhineland-Palatinate State Library Center [1]