Ulrich Bonerius (fl. c. 1324–1350) was a most influential author of Middle High German fables, achieving an enormous success with his collection called

Der Edelstein

[

The Gemstone

], as documented by thirty-six manuscripts and two incunabula (early modern prints) containing his works. Twenty-four of the manuscripts are even illuminated, which underscores the great respect that his texts enjoyed. He drew extensively on the classical tradition, that is, on the fable collections by the Anonymous Neveleti (tenth century) and Avianus (early fifth century), who in turn had translated the fables by the ancient Greek poet Aesop (6th c. B.C.E.) for their own purposes. Bonerius was not at all the first or the last poet to compose fables in Middle High German, but he offered the first extensive and…

1537 words

Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Ulrich Bonerius". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 January 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14687, accessed 03 October 2024.]

14687 Ulrich Bonerius 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.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.