Adelbert von Chamisso, one of the most notable German Romantic writers, was born Louis-Charles-Adélaïde Chamisso de Boncourt, his first name in French sources usually spelt

Adalbert

, at Chateau Boncourt, Seine-et-Marne, Champagne, France, between 27 and 30 January 1781, and was baptised 31 January 1781. The lyrical poet, fiction writer, naturalist and scientist published his literary work in German. The family name reflected their ultimate Portuguese origin (the form

Chamusso

is still current there, and the name is also recorded as

Chamissot

). The family had the status of minor aristocrats in Lorraine hailing from a background which was commemorated in his poem “Das Schloss Boncourt” [“Chateau Boncourt”, 1827]; his mother, Marie Anne Gargam, came from a prosperous haut-bourgeois…

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Citation: Grant, Anthony Paul. "Adelbert von Chamisso". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 June 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=813, accessed 19 March 2024.]

813 Adelbert von Chamisso 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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