- Born:
- Feb. 20, 1842, Nennowitz, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now in Brno, Czech Republic]
- Died:
- Nov. 6, 1911, Bern, Switz. (aged 69)
- Notable Works:
- âSpaziergĂ€nge in den Alpenâ
Joseph Viktor Widmann
Joseph Viktor Widmann (born Feb. 20, 1842, Nennowitz, Moravia, Austrian Empire [now in Brno, Czech Republic]âdied Nov. 6, 1911, Bern, Switz.) was a Swiss writer, editor, and critic.
Widmann settled in Switzerland early in life. As literary editor of the Bern daily newspaper Der Bund from 1880 to 1910, he occupied an authoritative position in Swiss letters and promoted many talented writers. He was himself an accomplished though not a strikingly original writer, and he handled such classic forms as the short epic (âBuddha,â 1869), the idyll (âMose und Zipora,â 1874), and iambic drama (Oenone, 1880) with charming ease. His travel books, notably SpaziergĂ€nge in den Alpen (1885; âStrolls in the Alpsâ), belong to the best of their kind; and his plays include MaikĂ€ferkomödie (1897; âMay-bugâs Comedyâ), a pleasant and humorous allegory, and Der Heilige und die Tiere (1905; âThe Saint and the Animalsâ), his profoundest work.