Heinrich Hössli

Heinrich Hössli

Heinrich Hössli (August 6, 1784 in Glarus - December 24, 1864 in Winterthur), sometimes written as Hößli, was a Swiss hatter and author. His book Eros Die Männerliebe der Griechen (2 vols., 1836, 1838) surveyed references to same-sex love in ancient Greek literature and more recent research, and was one of the first works in the 19th century that defended love between men.^[1][2]

Biography

Hössli was born on 6 August 1784 in Glarus in Switzerland, the oldest of 14 children, to hatter Hans Jakob Hössli (1758–1846) and Margreth Vogel (1757–1831). He learned his father's occupation in Bern.

Back in Glarus he worked as hatter and also started a business in trading women's clothing. His hats for women were famous in the region.

In 1811 he married Elisabeth Grebel, and had two sons, who emigrated to the United States. For most of his marriage his wife and sons lived in Zurich while he himself lived in Glarus.

He died on 24 December 1864.

Works by Hössli

• Eros, Die Männerliebe der Griechen, ihre Beziehungen zur Geschichte, Erziehung, Literatur und Gesetzgebung aller Zeiten (vol. 1: Glarus 1836; vol. 2: Sankt Gallen 1838), reprint Berlin, Verlag rosa Winkel, 1998, vol. 1: ISBN 3-86149-056-0, vol. 2: ISBN 3-86149-057-9
• New vol. 3: Documents by Heinrich Hössli with an introduction by Manfred Herzer, a short biography by Ferdinand Karsch-Haack, and a reprint of the novella Der Eros (1821) by Heinrich Zschokke, ISBN 3-86149-058-7
• Hexenprozeß- und Glauben, Pfaffen und Teufel. Leipzig, 1892, 80 pages

Heinrich Hössli in later years

References

1. Hubert Kennedy: Hössli, Heinrich, glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture, 2003, version of 3 March 2004
2. David Halperin, One Hundred Years of Homosexuality, Routledge, 1990, 'Introduction', page 4

Further reading

• Ferdinand Karsch-Haack, Der Putzmacher von Glarus Heinrich Hössli, ein Vorkämpfer der Männerliebe. Ein Lebensbild (Max Spohr, Leipzig 1903; ND New York: Arno Press 1975)
• Pirmin Meier, Mord, Philosophie und die Liebe der Männer. Franz Desgouttes und Heinrich Hössli - eine Parallelbiographie (Zürich 2001) ISBN 3-86612-023-0
• Bernd-Ulrich Hergemöller, Mann zu Mann, Pages 366
• P. Dercks, Die Schande der Heiligen Paderastie: Homosexualitat und Offentlichkeit in der deutschen Literatur 1750-1850 (1990)
• Documents of the Homosexual Rights Movement in Germany 1836-1927 (1975)