Max Ehrmann (26 september 1872 – 9 september 1945 ) is an American writer and poet, a lawyer from Terre Haute (Indiana, USA), known for his 1927 prose poem “Desiderata” (Latin: “desired”). He often wrote essays on spiritual topics.
Ehrmann was of German descent: his parents had emigrated from Bavaria in the 1840s. Max Ehrmann was educated at the Terre Haute School and the German Methodist Church.
Ehrman received his bachelor’s degree in English in 1894 from De Pauw University. He was the editor of the university newspaper, Depauw Weekly.
After that, Ehrman studied philosophy and law at Harvard University, where he was editor of The Rainbow, the national journal of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, around 1896.
In 1898, Ehrman returned to his hometown of Terre Haute and opened a law practice. He got the position of Deputy District Attorney in Vigo County (Indiana), and held it for 2 years. He later worked in the family meat business and the Ehrmann Manufacturing Company. At the age of 40, he left the business to devote himself to literature. He wrote his most famous work, the prose poem “Desiderata”, at the age of 54, but it became popular only after the author’s death.
Ehrman died in 1945 and is buried in a cemetery in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In 2010, the city honored Ehrman with a life-size bronze statue of him by Bill Wolfe. Ehrman is sitting on a bench in the center of the city, a nozzle in his hand and a notebook on his lap. The name “Desiderata” is engraved on the memorial plaque, and lines from the poem are inscribed in the footpath nearby. The sculpture is part of the Art Spaces, Inc. collection. – Wabash Valley Outdoor Sculpture Collection. Art Spaces also hosts the annual Max Ehrmann Poetry Contest.
Max Ehrmann’s publications in “Taubin”: