-
born on December 3, 1764 in London
died May 28, 1847 in Edmonton
British writer
175th death anniversary on May 28, 2022
Mary Lamb's family was very poor, her childhood decidedly unhappy. Mary learned only a little reading, writing and arithmetic; her lack of schooling always remained a problem for her. Her mother favored her older brother John in everything.
Mary was shy, taciturn, hyper-sensitive, and prone to mental disorders even as a child.
Mary is ten years old when her brother Charles is born. She takes care of him with devotion. Now she finally has a task that goes beyond kitchen chores. A strong bond develops between Mary and Charles that will define both of their lives. After Mary stabs her mother to death in mental derangement at the age of 31, she is to be interned for life, but Charles takes on a personal guarantee for her and is thus able to prevent her psychiatric treatment. The two move in together and begin their life of "twofold singlehood," described by contemporaries as very happy, although Mary's illness always flares up.
They often go to the theater, have many friends,…read more
-
Eve Curie
This biography is not yet available in English.
You can find the German version here.
-
Sybille Schmitz
This biography is not yet available in English.
You can find the German version here.
-
Camille Claudel
This biography is not yet available in English.
You can find the German version here.
-
Joan Didion
This biography is not yet available in English.
You can find the German version here.
-
Sonia Delaunay
This biography is not yet available in English.
You can find the German version here.
-
born ca. 1753 in Africa (Gambia?)
died December 5, 1784 in Boston
first African-American poet
A slave for much of her life, poet Phillis Wheatley (1753? – 1784) was the first published black American author and the second published American woman author. Several women nourished her career, including her owners/mistresses Susanna and Mary Wheatley, her friend Obour Tanner, and in England the writer Selina Hastings, countess of Huntingdon,
At a young age Phillis was stolen from Africa by slave-traders and brought to Massachusetts. In 1761 she was purchased in Boston by tailor John Wheatley, with his wife Susannah, and 18-year old twins Mary and Nathaniel. Susannah named Phillis after the slaveship on which she had been transported, and estimated her age at about seven because she was losing her baby teeth. In a later poem, Phillis identified Gambia as the land of her birth.
Because of their Puritan religion, the Wheatleys -- and many other slave owners in New England -- regarded slaves as part of the family, and allowed them to read, write and learn trades. After…read more
-
Marion Dönhoff
This biography is not yet available in English.
You can find the German version here.
-
born 4 December 1899 in Dresden-Löbtau
murdered on 31 July 1940 in Sonnenstein mental institution in Pirna
German painter
80th anniversary of dearh on 31 July 2020
The tragedy of this great artist’s life can hardly be imagined.
Given their narrow middle-class background, Elfriede Wächtler’s parents were totally unprepared to cope with the brilliance and eccentricity of their daughter and tried—unsuccessfully—to block her career as an artist. Elfriede attended the Academy of Art in Dresden and left home at the age of sixteen, earning her living by making batik articles. She associated with the artistic bohème of Dresden, became a devotee of Dada, and attended events of the Spartacus League, educating herself politically and socially, as did many sensitive young people shocked by the horrors of World War I.
To the great astonishment of her friends she married a totally inappropriate man, the ruthless spendthrift and casual artist Kurt Lohse, who quickly ran through her money as well as his own. Endless poverty became the trademark of her life.
The couple separated, and Lohse moved to Hamburg, where he fell ill. Elfriede Wächtler took…read more
