Mörike, Eduard Friedrich

Mörike, Eduard Friedrich

(born Sept. 8, 1804, Ludwigsburg, Württemberg—died June 4, 1875, Stuttgart) German lyric poet. A clergyman, Mörike suffered all his life from psychosomatic illnesses and retired at age 39, supplementing his pension by lecturing on literature. His small literary output includes the novel Maler Nolten (1832), fairy tales, and Mozart on the Way to Prague (1856), a humorous examination of the problems of artists in a world uncongenial to art. His best works are his exquisite lyrics, notably the “Peregrina” poems, which immortalize a youthful love, and sonnets to a onetime betrothed; many were set to music by Hugo Wolf.