Carl Arnold Kortum
An 18th-century German doctor who found lasting fame not with medicine, but with a wildly popular comic epic poem about a cobbler.
1745–1824 (age 79)·German physician and writer·Birthday: July 5
Biography
Carl Arnold Kortum, born in 1745, practiced medicine in the industrial city of Bochum, but his true passion was satirical writing. In a life that bridged the Enlightenment and Romantic eras, he channeled his observations of everyday German life and his frustration with pedantry into literature. His medical career provided stability, yet it was his mischievous poetic alter ego that captured the public's imagination. Kortum's masterpiece, 'The Life, Opinions, and Deeds of Hieronymus Jobs the Candidate', published under a pseudonym, became an unexpected sensation. This picaresque tale of a bumbling, philosophizing cobbler resonated deeply, offering humor and social commentary that outlived all his scientific work, securing his place in literary history long after his death in 1824.
#1 When Carl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1745
Carl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1745Born
1750Started school
1758Became a teenager
1761Could drive
1763Could vote
1766Turned 21
1775Turned 30
1785Turned 40
1795Turned 50
1805Turned 60
1815Turned 70
1824Died at 79
Key Achievements
- Authored the immensely popular comic epic 'Die Jobsiade' (The Life of Hieronymus Jobs).
- Served as a municipal physician in Bochum for decades, contributing to public health.
- Wrote numerous other satirical poems and local historical works.
Did You Know?
His famous work, 'Die Jobsiade', was originally published anonymously.
He used the pen name 'Dr. J. F. K.' for his literary works.
A monument to him and his character Jobs stands in his adopted city of Bochum.
“The doctor's art is to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always.”
