Bürger, Gottfried August

Bürger, Gottfried August
born Dec. 31, 1747, Molmerswende bei Halberstadt, Brandenburg
died June 8, 1794, Göttingen, Hanover

German poet.

He was associated with the Göttinger Hain, a circle of Sturm und Drang poets who reawakened interest in folk and nature themes. His bizarre ballad "Lenore" (1773) had a profound effect on the subsequent development of literary Romanticism throughout Europe, and he is remembered as a founder of German Romantic ballad literature. He is also noted for his Petrarchan sonnets and translations from English, especially Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry.

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▪ German poet
born Dec. 31, 1747, Molmerswende bei Halberstadt, Brandenburg, Prussia [Germany]
died June 8, 1794, Göttingen, Hanover

      one of the founders of German Romantic ballad literature whose style reflects the renewed interest in folk song (Volkspoesie) in Europe during the late 1700s.

      Bürger was educated in theology at the University of Halle and in law at the University of Göttingen. It was in Göttingen that he first came into contact with a group of Sturm und Drang poets known as the Göttinger Hain, who drew inspiration from folk ballads.

      In 1773 Bürger published the ballad “Lenore,” a spectral romance in which a ghostly rider, posing as Lenore's dead lover, carries her away on a macabre night ride through an eerie landscape illuminated by flashes of lightning. It culminates in a revelation of the rider as Death himself—a skeleton with scythe and hourglass. The poem's use of refrain and its simple and naive language, as well as its sensational theme, had a profound effect upon the subsequent development of Romanticism throughout Europe.

      Bürger's unbalanced temperament and largely impoverished circumstances prevented him from ever achieving lasting happiness. In 1774 he married Dorette Leonhard but soon fell passionately in love with her sister, the “Molly” of his sonnets. His wife's death, in 1784, freed him to marry “Molly,” but she died soon afterward, in childbirth. In 1789 he was appointed extraordinary professor at Göttingen, though without a stipend, leaving him in poverty for the remainder of his life. A third marriage, in 1790, was a disaster and was dissolved in 1792.

      In addition to a number of Petrarchan sonnets, which considerably influenced later German poets, Bürger also did translations from the English. These included an influential collection of English and Scottish traditional ballads, Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, and an expanded version of Rudolf Erich Raspe's English translation of the original German tall tale The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

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  • Bürger, Gottfried August — Bürger, Gottfried August, Gottfried August, der Dichter der Lenore, der Pfarrerstochter zu Taubenhain etc., wurde am 1. Januar 1748 zu Wolmerswende bei Halberstadt geboren. Von 1768 an studirte er in Göttingen und war mit im Dichterbunde von… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Bürger, Gottfried August — (31 dic. 1747, Molmerswende bei Halberstadt, Brandeburgo–8 jun. 1794, Gotinga, Hannover). Poeta alemán. Fue parte del Göttinger Hain, círculo de poetas del movimiento Sturm und Drang quienes hicieron renacer el interés por la naturaleza y la… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • BÜRGER, GOTTFRIED AUGUST —    a German lyric poet, author of the ballads Lenore, which was translated by Sir Walter Scott, and The Wild Huntsman, as well as songs; led a wild life in youth, and a very unhappy one in later years; died in poverty (1747 1794) …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

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  • Gottfried August Burger — Gottfried August Bürger Gottfried August Bürger Gottfried August Bürger (Geoffroy Auguste Burger) (1er janvier 1747 8 juin 1794), poète allemand, né à Molmerswende près de Halberstadt. Il devint …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gottfried August Bürger — (Geoffroy Auguste Burger), né le 1er janvier 1747 à Molmerswende près de Halberstadt, mort le 8 juin 1794 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Gottfried August Bürger — (January 1, 1748 ndash; June 8, 1794) was a German poet from Molmerswende, Principality of Halberstadt, where his father was the Lutheran pastor.He was a backward child, and at the age of twelve was practically adopted by his maternal grandfather …   Wikipedia

  • Gottfried August Bürger — Retrato de Gottfried August Bürger por Rosmäsler, 1827. Gottfried August Bürger, poeta alemán nacido en Molmerswende el 31 de diciembre de 1747 y fallecido en Gotinga el 8 de junio de 1794. Es conocido principalmente por traducir al inglés Los… …   Wikipedia Español

  • August Bürger — Gottfried August Bürger, Gemälde von Johann Heinrich Tischbein dem Jüngeren, 1771 Porträt Gottfried August Bürgers …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Gottfried Auguste Burger — Gottfried August Bürger Gottfried August Bürger Gottfried August Bürger (Geoffroy Auguste Burger) (1er janvier 1747 8 juin 1794), poète allemand, né à Molmerswende près de Halberstadt. Il devint …   Wikipédia en Français

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