Conrad Ferdinand Meyer Biography

Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (October 11, 1825 – November 28, 1898) was a Swiss poet and master of realism chiefly remembered for stirring narrative ballads like "Die Füße im Feuer" (The Feet in the Fire).

Meyer was of patrician descent. His father, who died early, was a statesman and historian, while his mother was a highly cultured woman.

Having finished the gymnasium, he took up the study of law, but history and the humanities were of greater interest to him. Throughout his childhood two traits were observed that later characterized the man and the poet: he had a most scrupulous regard for neatness and cleanliness, and he lived and experienced more deeply in memory than in the immediate present. He suffered from bouts of mental illness, sometimes requiring hospitalization; his mother, similarly but more severely afflicted, took her own life.

Meyer found his calling only late in life; for many years, being practically bilingual, he wavered between French and German. The Franco-Prussian War brought the final decision, and from now on his works appeared in rapid succession. He died in his home in Kilchberg above Zürich, November 28, 1898.