VOLK, Wilhelm Gustav (Pseudonym: Ludwig Clarus). - Prolific writer, convert, b. 25 Jan. 1804 at Halberstadt, d. at Erfurt on 17 March 1869.

Son of a Protestant jurist, he studied (1823-26) at Göttingen and Berlin, both law and letters and philosophy (he was a pupil of Hegel and Schleiermacher). During a further period of study at Berlin (1832-1835) he entered into relations with the jurist Prof. George Phillips, his contemporary, who had converted (1828) to Catholicism. He married (1836) the daughter of a pastor, and became a government councillor (1838) at Erfurt. During a journey in southern Germany he was introduced by Prof. Phillips, who had moved to Munich, among the personalities of the so-called Görres circle, who exerted a lasting influence on V., bringing him ever closer to the Catholic faith. The decisive step, however, came only after, on the advice of the bishop of Mainz, Em. v. Ketteler, he had made the spiritual exercises. V. abjured together with his wife on 18 Oct. 1855 at Aigen near Salzburg. Retired in 1858, he lived until his death at Erfurt as an exemplary Catholic.

He published his autobiography under the title: Simeon.

Wanderungen und Heimkehr eines christ. Forschers, von Ludw. Clarus (3 vols., Schaffhausen 1862-63). The list of V.'s writings comprises 71 items in J. Kehrein, Biograph. literar. Lex. der kath. deutschen Dichter... (II, Würzburg 1871, pp. 223-28). Important are his works on Italian (2 vols., 1832-34) and Spanish (2 vols., 1846) literature, the translation of the works of St. Teresa (5 vols., 1851-55), St. Bridget (4 vols., 1856, 2nd ed. 1888), St. Hildegard (1854), St. Matilda (1867), etc.

Bibliography4 works

BIBL.: Dav. A. Rosenthal, Convertitenbilder aus dem neunzehnten Jahrh., I, III, 2nd ed., Schaffhausen 1872, pp. 114-58; L. Fränkel, s.v. in Allg. deutsche Biogr., XL (1896), pp. 227-30; H. Bone, s.v. in Kirchenlex., XII (1901), coll. 1044-47; H. J. Wurm, s.v. in LThK, X (1938), col. 671.

Hermann Ries

@incollection{ec12_volk_wilhelm_gustav_pseudonimo, author = {Ries, Ermanno}, title = {Volk, wilhelm gustav (pseudonimo: ludwig clarus)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {XII}, pages = {1590--1591}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1954}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/volk-wilhelm-gustav-pseudonimo-ludwig-clarus} }

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Volk, Wilhelm Gustav (Pseudonym: Ludwig Clarus)

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