GEIBEL, EMANUEL VON

born Oct. 17, 1815, Lbeck died April 6, 1884, Lbeck, Ger. in full Franz Emanuel August Von Geibel German poet and dramatist who was the centre of a circle of literary figures drawn together in Munich by Maximilian II of Bavaria. This group belonged to the Gesellschaft der Krokodile (Society of the Crocodiles), a literary society that cultivated traditional poetic themes and forms. After completing his university studies, Geibel devoted himself to travel and became, in 1838, tutor to the Russian ambassador in Athens. In 1840 his extremely successful Gedichte (Poems) appeared. It ran to 100 editions in his lifetime and earned him a lifelong pension from the king of Prussia, Frederick William IV. Returning to Lbeck, he taught at the Gymnasium until 1852, when Maximilian called him to Munich as an honorary professor of German literature and aesthetics. In 1868 he was dismissed by Maximilian's successor because of his incautious support of Prussian hegemony, and he spent the rest of his life living on his pension. Geibel's lyricsZeitstimmen (1841; Voices of the Times), Junius-Lieder (1848; June Songs), and Sptherbstbltter (1877; Leaves of Late Autumn)reflect the taste of the time: classical, idealistic, and nontopical. He also made excellent translations of Romantic and ancient poets, Spanisches Liederbuch (1852; Spanish Songbook), and, with Paul von Heyse, Klassisches Liederbuch (1875; Classical Songbook).