Antoine Meyer

Antoine Meyer, also known as Antun or Tun Meyer (1801–1857) was a Luxembourg-born mathematician and poet who later adopted Belgian nationality. Sometimes referred to as the father of Luxembourgish literature, he is remembered for publishing the very first book in Luxembourgish, a collection of six poems entitled "E’ Schrek ob de’ Lezeburger Parnassus" (A Step up the Luxembourg Parnassus).

Born on 31 May 1801 in Luxembourg City, Meyer was the son of Hubert Meyer, a shoemaker, and his wife Elisabeth Kirschenbilder who lived in the centre of the old town close to the Place d'Armes. After completing his secondary school education with flying colours at the local Athénée, he studied mathematics at Liège (1817–1823) where he was forced to give private lessons to his fellow students and help out in the library in order to pay for his studies. After receiving his doctorate, he spent an additional year in Paris studying at the Collège de France and at the Sorbonne where he came into contact with Europe's leading mathematicians.

Professionally, Meyer was a brilliant mathematics teacher. In 1826, he taught at the Collège royal at Echternach in Luxembourg before moving to Breda in the Netherlands in 1828 where he worked at the newly opened Royal Military Academy. However, when two years later the Belgians rose up against the Dutch, he had to leave the country. After enormous difficulties, he finally succeeded in finding a job in Belgium at a school in Louvain. He spent a short period at the Institut Gaggia (1834) in Brussels but was then offered a post at the military school before going on to the Université Libre de Bruxelles in 1838. In 1849, he became a professor of higher mathematics at the Université de Liège until his death in 1857. For historical reasons, after the separation of Belgian Luxembourg, Meyer acquired Belgian nationality in 1842. The strong recognition he received for his mathematical publications and achievements testify to his full adoption by the Belgians. However, his poems show his lifelong attachment to Luxembourg.

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