Carl Seelig
Illustration — Carl Seelig Carl Seelig (May 11, 1894, Zurich – February 15, 1962, Zurich) was a German-Swiss writer and patron. He was best known as a friend, promoter and guardian of Robert Walser and the first biographer of Albert Einstein.
Also recorded as Thomas Glahn
Carl Seelig
Berger · Public domain
- Born
- Carl Seelig was born on 11 May 1894. · Zurich.
- Died
- Carl Seelig died on 15 February 1962. · Bellevue (Zürich tram stop).
- Nationality
- Switzerland
- Occupation
- writer · journalist · publisher
- Fields
- literature · journalism · publishing house · art critic
- Education
- University of Zurich
- Known for
- Wanderungen mit Robert Walser
- Languages
- Swiss German · Standard High German · German
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Illustration — Carl Seelig Carl Seelig (May 11, 1894, Zurich – February 15, 1962, Zurich) was a German-Swiss writer and patron. He was best known as a friend, promoter and guardian of Robert Walser and the first biographer of Albert Einstein.
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Carl Seelig was a Swiss journalist, publisher and writer. Born in Zurich, the journalist died in Bellevue (Zürich tram stop).
Carl Seelig studied at University of Zurich. The journalist was active in art critic, journalism and literature.
Works include Wanderungen mit Robert Walser. Languages used include German, Standard High German and Swiss German.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 28 September 2026
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wikidata · Q1040574 · wikipedia · Carl Seelig
In this article
Life
Life
Carl Seelig studied at University of Zurich. The recorded working language is Swiss German, Standard High German and German. The field of work recorded is literature, journalism and publishing house. Works named in the authority record are Wanderungen mit Robert Walser.
Seelig was born to Karl Wilhelm, a proprietor of a silk dye works and a mountaineer, and Julie Alwine née Kuhn. He married Maria Margareta Deutsch and later Martha Suter. He attended grammar school in Zurich and Trogen. He studied jurisprudence in Zurich, although he did not attain a degree. During the 1920s, he began writing both poetry and prose. His later filled roles as a writer and a publisher. Seeling then began publishing independent literature as a theatre and film reviewer, editor, and author. Notably, he undertook the role of a biographer, particularly on life of Albert Einstein. Additionally, he was a supporter for authors in exile and for Robert Walser. He assumed the roles of editor, custodian, and executor for Walser, which culminated in his portrayal of him in "Wanderungen mit Robert Walser" (1957). It was translated for the first time into the English, Walks with Walser, by Anne Posten in 2017. An international libraries overview counted 163 published works, in 294 publications and 13 languages. He also employed the pseudonym Thomas Glohn for some of his written works. Seelig's recorded correspondents were, among others, Max Brod, Hans Henny Jahnn, Alfred Polgar and Joseph Roth. He also maintained close contacts with Swiss authors, most notably Robert Walser, whom he accompanied on his walks, giving rise to the biographical work, Wanderungen mit Robert Walser, The Swiss Literary Archives store, as a long-term loan, approximately 6,000 manuscript pieces by Seelig. As a testament to his dedication, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Carl Seelig Foundation in 1966. Notably, this foundation underwent a name change in 2004, becoming recognized as the Robert Walser Foundation.
German
German
• Der Tag bricht an. Neue Gedichte von Waldemar Bonsels, Martin Buber, Hermann Hesse, Stefan Zweig (editor, 1921) • Das neue Wunderhorn (editor, 1924) • Die Jahreszeyten im Spiegel schweizerischer Volkssprüche (editor, 1925) • Robert Walser: Vom Glück des Unglücks und der Armut. Die schönsten besinnlichen Stellen aus Walsers Büchern – stille Weisheit eines wahren Poeten (editor, 1944) • Novalis: Gesammelte Werke (editor, 1945/1946) • Sterne: Anekdotische Kurzgeschichten aus sechs Jahrhunderten (editor, 1950) • Robert Walser: Jakob von Gunten. (editor, 1950). • Albert Einstein und die Schweiz (1952) • Robert Walser: Dichtungen in Prosa (1953–1961) • Albert Einstein (1954) • Helle Zeit — Dunkle Zeit: In memoriam Albert Einstein (editor, 1956) • Wanderungen mit Robert Walser (1957) • Albert Einstein: Mein Weltbild (first published 1934 by Rudolf Kayser, extended edition published by Seelig in 1954) • Originelle Gestalten der Familie Schoop. In: Thurgauer Jahrbuch. 33. Jahrgang, pages 95–110 (1958) • Albert Einstein Leben Und Werk Eines Genies Unserer Zeit (1960
English Translations
English Translations
• Albert Einstein: A Documentary Biography (1956) • Ideas and Opinions by Albert Einstein (editor, translation first published 1954) • The World as I See It (editor, translation first published 2015) • Walks with Walser (2017)

Das Grab des schweizerischen Schriftstellers Carl Seelig auf dem Friedhof Sihlfeld in Zürich.
Harvey Kneeslapper
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Carl Seelig was born at Zurich.
Birthplace
Carl Seelig died at Bellevue (Zürich tram stop).
Deathplace
Zurich.
Birth place
Bellevue (Zürich tram stop).
Death place
Carl Seelig died at Zurich.
Deathplace
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reference work
- “Carl Seelig”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1040574: Carl Seelig
General reference · Wikidata
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Elsewhere in Books
39,529 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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