Bayard Taylor

Bayard Taylor ( born January 11, 1825 in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, † December 19, 1878 in Berlin) was an American travel writer, diplomat and poet.

Life

He was 17 years old printer 's apprentice in West Chester ( Pennsylvania), devoted himself to the way of literature and the fine arts, and made with his savings 1844-46 a walking tour through Europe, what he was afoot in Views ( 1846) reported. Two years later he published his Rhymes of travel.

After his return brought him Horace Greeley as editor for the New York Tribune. The paper sent him to California in 1848, where he reported on the American gold rush. A summary of came out in 1849. His Poems and Ballads appeared in 1851, just as his "Book of romances, lyrics and songs". In the same year he undertook a journey to the Orient and into the interior of Africa. In October 1852 he moved from England to Spain to Bombay and from there to China, where he was added to the American legation. Then he accompanied Commodore Perry's fleet squadron to Japan and returned late in 1853 returned to New York. His travel reports he published in the Tribune, and later in book form: A journey to Central Africa ( 1854), The lands of the Saracen (1855 ) and A visit in India, Japan and China ( 1856).

From 1856-58 again on trips, he visited Lapland and Norway, then Greece and Crete, Poland and Russia. Fruits of these trips were the Northern travel ( 1857) and Travels writings in Greece and Russia (1859 ). In 1857 he married Marie Hansen ( 1829-1925 ), daughter of the astronomer Hansen in Gotha, which many of his writings rendered subsequently into German. In 1958, her only daughter Lilian in Gotha to the world. After returning to the United States Taylor built in Cedar Croft in Philadelphia a country house. 1862-63 he was secretary of legation in St. Petersburg. From 1866-68, and again from 1872 to 1874 he toured Europe again, preferably Thuringia, Italy and Switzerland. In between, he made short trips to Egypt and Iceland. In May 1878 Taylor was appointed ambassador of the United States in Berlin by President Rutherford B. Hayes. Here overtook him on December 19, 1878, a sudden and early death. Was Buried Bayard Taylor almost a year later in the cemetery of his home Cedarcroft three miles distant Longwood.

Publications

During his time as an editor at the New York Tribune from 1852 Taylor was, together with George Ripley out the multi-volume Handbook of Literature and Fine Arts. With this work, and with his masterful transfer of Goethe's Faust in the meter of the original ( 1870-71, 2 vols ) Taylor contributed to the dissemination of knowledge of German literature in America.

At travelogues published by Taylor still home and abroad (1859, 2nd series 1862), Colorado ( 1867), Byways of Europe ( 1869) and Egypt and Iceland (1875 ). His poetic works include collections nor the Poems of the Orient (1854 ), Poems of home and travel (1855 ), The poet 's journal (1862 ), the didactic poem The picture of St. John (1866 ), the idyll Lars (1873 ) Home and pastorals (1875 ) and several dramatic seals: The masque of the gods (1872 ), The prophet (1874 ) and Prince Deucalion ( 1878). In addition, Taylor wrote novels such as, among others, Hannah Thurston (1863 ), John Godfrey 's fortunes (1865 ), The story of Kennett (1866 ), Joseph and his friend (1871, the first amendment to the U.S. on an intimate friendship between two men ), and the works a school history of Germany (1874 ), the Echo Club (1876 ), a harmless satire on English poet of modern times, and published after his death Studies in German literature (1879 ) and Critical essays and notes (1880 ). A collection of his travels was published in 6 volumes (New York 1881), his Complete poetical works in Boston in 1881. Many of his writings also appeared in German translation.

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