Max Ehrmann
Max Ehrmann | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 26, 1872 |
| Died | September 9, 1945 (aged 72) Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Resting place | Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana 39°28′35″N 87°20′52″W / 39.476398°N 87.347801°W |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | DePauw University Harvard University |
| Occupation(s) | Attorney, businessman |
| Known for | Prose poem "Desiderata" (1927) |
| Spouse | Bertha Pratt King Ehrmann |
| Parent(s) | Maximilian Ehrmann, Sr. Margaret Barbara Lutz Ehrmann |
| Notes | |
Max Ehrmann (September 26, 1872 – September 9, 1945) was an American writer, poet, and attorney from Terre Haute, Indiana, widely known for his 1927 prose poem "Desiderata" (Latin: "things desired"). He often wrote on spiritual themes.
Education
Ehrmann was of German descent; both his parents emigrated from Bavaria in the 1840s. Young Ehrmann was educated at the Terre Haute Fourth District School and the German Methodist Church.
He received a degree in English from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, which he attended from 1890 to 1894. While there, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta's Beta Beta chapter[3] and was editor of the school newspaper, Depauw Weekly.[2]
Ehrmann then studied philosophy and law at Harvard University, where he was editor of Delta Tau Delta's national magazine The Rainbow, circa 1896.[4]
Professional life
Ehrmann returned to his hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1898 to practice law. He was a deputy state's attorney in Vigo County, Indiana, for two years. Subsequently, he worked in his family's meatpacking business and in the overalls manufacturing industry (Ehrmann Manufacturing Co.)[5] At age 40, Ehrmann left the business to write. At age 54, he wrote Desiderata, which achieved fame only after his death.[1][6]
Legacy
Ehrmann was awarded Doctor of Letters honorary degree from DePauw University in about 1937.[7] He was also elected to the Delta Tau Delta Distinguished Service Chapter, the fraternity's highest alumni award.[3]
Ehrmann died in 1945 and is buried in Highland Lawn Cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In 2010 the city honored Ehrmann with a life-size bronze statue by sculptor Bill Wolfe. He is depicted sitting on a downtown bench, pen in hand, with a notebook in his lap. "Desiderata" is engraved on a plaque next to the statue and lines from the poem are embedded in the walkway. The sculpture is in the collection of Art Spaces, Inc. – Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection.[8] Art Spaces also holds an annual Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition.[9]
Bibliography
- Max Ehrmann (1898). A Farrago[4]
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). A Fearsome Riddle
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). A Prayer and Selections
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). Breaking home Ties
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). The Poems of Max Ehrmann
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). A Passion Play
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). The Wife of Marobuis
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). David and Bathsheba
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). Scarlet Women
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). Book of Farces
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). The Bank Robbery
- Max Ehrmann (before 1938). The Plumber[7]
- Bertha Pratt King Ehrmann (1948). The Poems of Max Ehrmann (includes Desiderata)
- Bertha Pratt King Ehrmann (1951). Max Ehrmann: A Poet's Life
- Bertha Pratt King Ehrmann (1952). The Journal of Max Ehrmann
References
- ^ a b
Drummy, Deborah Curtis (March 1, 1992). "Historical Treasure Article: Terre Haute writer-philosopher remembered". Vigo County Historical Society. Indiana State University. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
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"Max Ehrmann Pamphlets – Biography". Terre Haute, Indiana: Vigo County Public Library. Retrieved March 29, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - ^ a b "Alumni: Subpage – Distinguished Service Chapter Citation". Delta Tau Delta. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
Max Ehrmann, Beta Beta (DePauw), 1894
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b
Matthews, James Newton (1897). "Deltas in Literature". The Rainbow of the Delta Tau Delta. (DTK Beta Upsilon 1878). Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. pp. 298–299.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); External link in|chapterurl=|chapterurl=ignored (|chapter-url=suggested) (help) V. 21. Original from the New York Public Library. Digitized October 25, 2006. - ^
McCormick, Mike (September 8, 2002). "Idealist, philosopher, 'word technician' Max Ehrmann a Terre Haute treasure". Terre Haute Tribune Star. Archived from the original on November 23, 2008. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Katz, Barbara J. (November 27, 1977). "Popular Prose-Poem is No Work of the Ages. 'Desiderata': a Product of an Obscure Lawyer" (Fee). Washington Post. p. 31. Retrieved March 29, 2009. Reproduced by Volkert Braren
- ^ a b
Northwest Territory Celebration Committee, 1938 (1938). "Max Ehrmann Poet, Prophet, Philosopher". The Wabash Valley Remembers: A Chronicle, 1787–1938 (PDF). Terre Haute. pp. 52–52. Retrieved March 30, 2009.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help); External link in|chapterurl=|chapterurl=ignored (|chapter-url=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Wittmeyer, Sara (August 31, 2010). "Max Ehrmann Statue Unveiled in Terre Haute". Indiana Public Media. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
- ^ "2014 Max Ehrmann Poetry Competition Winners Announced". Wabash Valley Art Spaces. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
External links
