author
Otto Ernst Schmidt
1862–1926
A German poet, novelist, and playwright from Hamburg, he wrote with warmth about everyday life, childhood, and education. His best-known work, the largely autobiographical novel cycle about Asmus Semper, helped make him a widely read literary voice in the early 20th century.
5 Audiobooks
Das Glück ist immer da! Heitere Geschichten und Plaudereien
by Otto Ernst Schmidt
Deutsche Humoristen, 3. Band (von 8)
by Hans Hoffmann, Helene Böhlau, Max Eyth, Otto Ernst Schmidt
Gulliver's Reis Naar Liliput
by Otto Ernst Schmidt, Jonathan Swift
Semper der Jüngling
by Otto Ernst Schmidt
Gedichte
by Otto Ernst Schmidt
About the author
Born Otto Ernst Schmidt in Ottensen near Hamburg on October 7, 1862, he published under the name Otto Ernst. He grew up in modest circumstances, trained as a teacher, and worked in Hamburg schools before turning to writing full time in the early 1900s.
He became known for poems, plays, and prose that often drew on northern German life and his own experiences. His writing was especially shaped by memories of childhood and school, and his Asmus Semper books are closely linked to his own youth. He is also remembered for the ballad Nis Randers, which remained especially popular in northern Germany.
Otto Ernst died in Groß Flottbek near Hamburg on March 5, 1926. Today he is remembered as a writer who brought humor, feeling, and a strong sense of place to stories about ordinary people.