The Birth of Novalis

Friedrich von Hardenberg's Journal of 1797, with Selected Letters and Documents

Novalis, Friedrich von Hardenberg, Bruce Donehower

• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780791469705, 9780791469699
• eBook ISBN: 9780791480687
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Literary Biographies

A frank and candid glimpse into the early life of the maturing poet.

Friedrich von Hardenberg, who later became known as the poet Novalis, kept a journal between April and July 1797 that captured his moods, thoughts, and observations following the death of his fifteen-year-old fiancée Sophie von Kühn and his dearly loved younger brother Erasmus. The journal's short, day-to-day entries allow a frank and candid glimpse into the inner life of the maturing poet, and are complemented by selections from Hardenberg's letters. Taken together, and read in conjunction with the fragments written before, during, and shortly after this period of time, the journal and letters shed light on a process of self-discovery during which Hardenberg became convinced of his poetic vocation and acknowledged this conviction in an act of self-christening, as the poet Novalis.

Table of contents

• The Birth of Novalis
• Contents
• Introduction
• Selected Letters and Documents1792–1797
• Journal: April 18–July 6, 1797
• Autobiographical and Biographical Testimonies
• Timeline of Events
• Notes
• Select Bibliography
• Index