Edmond de la Fontaine
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Edmond de la Fontaine (24 July 1823 – 24 June 1891<ref name="vianden-info.lu">Template:Cite web</ref>), better known by his pen name of Dicks,<ref>Roger Muller en Josiane Weber, "Edmond de la Fontaine", Luxemburger Autorenlexicon, Centre national de littérature.</ref> was a Luxembourgish jurist, poet, and lyricist, known for his work in the Luxembourgish language. He is considered the national poet of Luxembourg and, along with Michel Lentz and Michel Rodange, one of the most important figures in the history of Luxembourgish literature. In addition, his Luxemburger Sitten und Bräuche was one of the most influential early ethnographies on the Luxembourgish people.
Fontaine was the third son of Gaspard-Théodore-Ignace de la Fontaine,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> who was appointed Governor of Luxembourg in 1841, and subsequently served as the country's first Prime Minister in 1848. Fontaine studied law at Liège, and spent a further year at Heidelberg pursuing Germanic studies from 1844 until 1847,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> before becoming a lawyer in 1850. Fontaine was not a skilled speaker, and this may be the reason why he later left the bar and became a deputy judge, then worked as an office manager for the railways.<ref name=":0" /> In 1858, he opened a weaving business, employing 60 workers in Remich.<ref name=":0" /> From 1867 until 1870, he served as mayor of Stadtbredimus, in eastern Luxembourg's Moselle Valley, and served as a Justice of the Peace in Vianden from 1881 and 1889.<ref name="vianden-info.lu"/> He lived in Stadtbredimus Castle from 1858 to 1881 where he would live for the last decade of his life.
Works
Lyrics
- Liss, du bass mäi Caprice
- Den Hexemeeschter
Poetry
- D’Vulleparlament am Grengewald 1848
Plays
- De Wëllefchen a de Fiischen
- D'Vulleparlament am Gréngewald
- Am Wanter
- Komeidisteck
Ethnography
- Luxemburger Sitten und Bräuche, Luxembourg: Brück 1883 (in German)
- Die luxemburger Kinderreime, Luxembourg: Bück 1877
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Legacy
- The Dicks-Lentz Monument at the west end of Place d'Armes in Luxembourg City was built in 1903 to honor Dicks and Michel Lentz.