Wilhelm Hünermann
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Wilhelm Hünermann | |
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Born | Kempen, Germany | 28 July 1900
Died | 28 November 1975 | (aged 75)
Occupation | novelist, short story writer, playwright |
Nationality | German |
Period | 1931–1969 |
Genre | biographical novel |
Subject | hagiography |
Wilhelm Hünermann (28 July 1900 – 28 November 1975) was a German priest and writer, best known for his novelized biographies of
Life and Works
In 1923, Hünermann was
In the same year, the transfer of the mortal remains of the
With his thirty biographical novels, Hünermann was one of the most prolific hagiographers of the 20th century. His works sold more than three million copies and were translated into over twenty languages, primarily French, Spanish, Slovene, Croatian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Romanian and Dutch. His writings, especially those on the youthful saints, were intended mostly for young readers, but have always been read and well received by readers of all ages and professions. Displaying an extreme sensitivity for sanctity in all its forms and circumstances, Hünermann discovered it all around and put it forth as an objective and a model. Before and during writing his biographical works, he thoroughly studied the bulk of available material concerning a certain person, from newspaper articles to diary notes, letters and existent biographies, and tried to incorporate each interesting detail or testimony into a harmonious whole.
One of his memoir booklets concerned the German Cardinal
He produced an extensive edifying synthesis of church history (Geschichte des Gottesreiches, in four volumes, 1956–1958), as well as a comprehensive collection of missionary portraits (Geschichte der Weltmission: Lebensbilder großer Missionare, in three volumes, 1960–1961).
Among the most persuasive of his creations are Die Herrgottsschanze, the 1940 novel about the priest
References
- ISBN 978-1-4729-4460-3.