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Search - List of Books by Christian Morgenstern

"The hidden child wants to be able to participate and to co-create in art, rather than being simply an admiring viewer." -- Christian Morgenstern
Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern (May 6, 1871 in Munich– March 31, 1914 in Meran) was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910. He worked for a while as a journalist in Berlin, but spent much of his life traveling through Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, primarily in a vain attempt to recover his health. His travels, though they failed to restore him to health, allowed him to meet many of the foremost literary and philosophical figures of his time in central Europe.

Morgenstern's poetry, much of which was inspired by English literary nonsense, is immensely popular, even though he enjoyed very little success during his lifetime. He made fun of scholasticism, e.g. literary criticism in "Drei Hasen", grammar in "Der Werwolf", narrow-mindedness in "Der Gaul", and symbolism in "Der Wasseresel". In "Scholastikerprobleme" he discussed how many angels could sit on a needle. Still many Germans know some of his poems and quotations by heart, e.g. the following line from "The Impossible Fact" ("Die unmögliche Tatsache", 1910):

Weil, so schließt er messerscharf / Nicht sein kann, was nicht sein darf.
"For, he reasons pointedly / That which must not, can not be."


Embedded in his humorous poetry is a subtle metaphysical streak, as e.g. in "Vice Versa", (1905):

    


Ein Hase sitzt auf einer Wiesedes Glaubens, niemand sähe diese.Doch im Besitze eines Zeißesbetrachtet voll gehaltnen Fleißesvom vis-à-vis gelegnen Bergein Mensch den kleinen Löffelzwerg.Ihn aber blickt hinwiederumein Gott von fern an, mild und stumm.

    


"A rabbit in his meadow lairImagines none to see him there.But aided by a looking lensA man with eager diligenceInspects the tiny long-eared gnomeFrom a convenient near-by dome.Yet him surveys, or so we learnA god from far off, mild and stern."

Gerolf Steiner's mock-scientific book about the fictitious animal order Rhinogradentia (1961), inspired by Morgenstern's nonsense poem Das Nasob?m, is testament to his enduring popularity.

Morgenstern died in 1914 of tuberculosis, which he had contracted from his mother, who died in 1881.

Quotes   more

Gallows Songs   more

Translations   more

Essays, Reviews and Aphorisms   more

Collected Works   more

This author page uses material from the Wikipedia article "Christian Morgenstern", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Total Books: 76
In the Land of Punctuation Handmade
2014 - In the Land of Punctuation Handmade (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9789383145249
ISBN-10: 9383145242
Genres: Arts & Photography, Literature & Fiction
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Die Mwen sehen alle aus als ob sie Emma hieen
2012 - Die Mwen Sehen Alle Aus Als Ob Sie Emma Hieen (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9783458362326
ISBN-10: 3458362320
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Die drei Spatzen
2011 - Die Drei Spatzen (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783359023364
ISBN-10: 3359023366
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EN EL REINO DE LA PUNTUACION
2011 - En El Reino De La Puntuacion (Other)
ISBN-13: 9788492595914
ISBN-10: 8492595914
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Der Marabu
2010 - Der Marabu (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783905871203
ISBN-10: 3905871203
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In the Land of Punctuation
2009 - In the Land of Punctuation (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9788190754606
ISBN-10: 8190754602
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Christian Morgenstern  Galgenlieder  Gedichte
2008 - Christian Morgenstern Galgenlieder Gedichte (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783867662093
ISBN-10: 3867662096
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Wohne in mir wie das Licht in der Luft
2007 - Wohne in Mir Wie Das Licht in Der Luft (Audio CD)
ISBN-13: 9783455305241
ISBN-10: 3455305245
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Morgenstern am Abend
2007 - Morgenstern Am Abend (Audio CD)
ISBN-13: 9783036915036
ISBN-10: 3036915036
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La Ratonera/ The Mousetrap
2007 - La Ratonera/ the Mousetrap [Spanish Edition] (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9788426136015
ISBN-10: 842613601X
Genre: Children's Books
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Die Mitternachtsmaus CD
2006 - Die Mitternachtsmaus Cd (Audio CD)
ISBN-13: 9783491241237
ISBN-10: 3491241235
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Stufen
2006 - Stufen [German Edition] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781406808261
ISBN-10: 1406808261
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El Moco
2005 - El Moco [Rosa Y Manzana - Spanish Edition] (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9788489804937
ISBN-10: 8489804931
Genre: Children's Books
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Das groe Lalula
2004 - Das Groe Lalula (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783351040567
ISBN-10: 3351040563
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Gedichte
2004 - Gedichte (Paperback)Hardcover
ISBN-13: 9783458347156
ISBN-10: 3458347151
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Gedichte in einem Band
2003 - Gedichte in Einem Band (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783458171690
ISBN-10: 345817169X
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Die Enten laufen Schlittschuh
2003 - Die Enten Laufen Schlittschuh (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783825174460
ISBN-10: 3825174468
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Gedichte und Lieder
2003 - Gedichte Und Lieder [Bd.44] (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9783851953244
ISBN-10: 385195324X
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Wer vom Ziel nicht wei
2002 - Wer Vom Ziel Nicht Wei (Paperback)
ISBN-13: 9783875122688
ISBN-10: 3875122682
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Hundert Gedichte
2002 - Hundert Gedichte (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783351029470
ISBN-10: 3351029470
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Mein erstes Vorlesebuch Hund Katze Maus
2002 - Mein Erstes Vorlesebuch Hund Katze Maus [Ab 4 J.] (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9783440090787
ISBN-10: 3440090787
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2001 - Chansons Du Gibet T1 [die galgenlieder] (Paperback)
2001 - Chansons Du Gibet T3 [palma kundel] (Paperback)
1964 - Christian Morgenstern's Galgenlieder Bilingual Edition [The Gallows Songs - English and German Edition] (Paperback)
Selected Poems [Mod. Poets S] (Paperback)
Kindergedichte [Nord-Sud Bilderbuch-Zwerge - German Edition] (Hardcover)
Mensch Wanderer Gedichte Aus Den Jahren 18871914 [His Samtliche Dichtungen : Abt. 2 ; Bd. 12 - German Edition] (Hardcover)
Die Schallmuhle Grotesken Und Parodien [His Samtliche Dichtungen ; Bd. 13 - German Edition] (Hardcover)
Epigramme Und Spruche [His Samtliche Dichtungen : Abt. 2 ; Bd. 14 - German Edition] (Hardcover)
Klein Irmchen Kindergedichte Klaus Burrmann Der Tierweltphotograph [His Samtliche Dichtungen ; Bd. 16 - German Edition] (Hardcover)
Der Samann Gedichte Und Aphorismen [Samtliche Dichtungen ; Bd. 17 - German Edition] (Hardcover)