MEYER, CONRAD FERDINAND, one of the greatest of Swiss poets and novelists, was born at Zurich on Oct. 11, 1825, and died on Nov. 28, 1896, at Kilchberg (near Zurich), where he had settled in 1875. In his youth he studied law and pursued his torical researches in Italy; but he began his career as author comparatively late in life. As compared with Gottfried Keller (q.v.), for example, Meyer is more of the cosmopolitan and pa trician and less of the democrat. His style is singularly pure and polished, and he appeals strongly to readers of culture. His poems include Balladen (1867), Romanzen und Bilder (187o), Huttens letzte Tage (1871), and Engelberg (1873)—the last two powerful narrative poems. His Gedichte have been published in at least 20 editions. Of his novels, in which he shows a preference for Renaissance subjects, the most popular are Jiirg Jenatsch (1876; 312th ed., 1924) and Der Heilige (188o; 198th ed., 1924). The latter was translated into English by M. von Wendheim, as Thomas a Becket, the Saint (1885). Die V ersuchung des Pescara (1887) was translated by Mrs. C. Bell (189o). His charming short stories were collected in 1885 (206th ed., 1924).
of Meyer have been written by A. Reitler (1885) ; A. Frey (19oo) ; R. d'Harcourt (1913) ; M. Nussberger (1919) ; H. Maync (1925). See also L. Frey, C. F. Meyer's Gedichte and Novellen (1892) ; K. E. Franzos, K. F. Meyer (1899) ; B. Meyer, C. F. Meyer (1903) ; A. Bettelheim, Louise von Francois und Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1905) ; A. Langmesser, C. F. Meyer (1905) and
Conrad Ferdinand Meyer und Julius Rodenberg (1918) ; E. Korrodi, C. F. Meyer; Studien (1912) ; W. Brecht, C. F. Meyer and das Kunst werk seiner Gedichtsammlung (1918) ; E. Brock, Die Landschaft in C. F. Meyer's Novellen and Gedichten (1926).