Max Ehrmann
| Max Ehrmann | |
|---|---|
| File:Mehrmann.jpg | |
| Born | September 26, 1872 Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Resting place | Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Indiana Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Residence | Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Bavarian-American |
| Alma mater | DePauw University Harvard University |
| Occupation | Attorney, businessman |
| Known for | Prose poem "Desiderata" (1927) |
| Home town | Terre Haute, Indiana |
| Spouse(s) | 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
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Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
- Max Ehrmann biography
- Short biog and poems
- Desiderata by Max Ehrman
- Max Ehrmann at Find a Grave
- Works by Max Ehrmann (public domain in Canada)
- Max Ehrmann papers at DePauw University
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- 1872 births
- 1945 deaths
- DePauw University alumni
- Indiana lawyers
- American prosecutors
- Harvard Law School alumni
- Writers from Terre Haute, Indiana
- American people of German descent
- 20th-century American poets
- American male poets
- 20th-century American lawyers
- Articles with dead external links from September 2010
