Overview

"Hyperion is a novel of stirring lyricism, philosophical sublimity, and enduring influence. It stands among Holderlin's most extraordinary achievements. A Greek hermit recounts the pivotal phases of his life, from his discovery of the vanished glory of antiquity, through his encounter with his beloved Diotima, who embodies his goal of merging with ""the All of nature,"" to his participation in a Greek uprising against Ottoman Turkish tyranny. Holderlin's sole novel has been celebrated for its musicality, the power of its cadences and tones to express a constant oscillation between extremes of grief and joy. Though Holderlin's genius was not widely recognized during his lifetime, he has come to be regarded as one of the most significant and unique poets in the German language."

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In the euphonious movement of its prose, in the sublimity and beauty of the figures that appear in it, Hyperion makes an impression upon me similar to the beat of the waves of the troubled sea. Indeed, this prose is music, soft melting sounds interrupted by painful dissonances, finally expiring in dark, uncanny dirges. --Friedrich Nietzsche The greatest lyric poets, for instance Holderlin or Keats, are men in whom the mythic power of insight breaks forth again in its full intensity and objectifying power... --Ernst Cassirer, Language and Myth, 1946 <p/>But if there were words in which to grasp the relation between myth and the inner life from which the later poem sprang it would be those of Holderlin. 'Myths, which take leave of the earth, / ... They return to mankind.' --Walter Benjamin The German poet Friedrich Holderlin unquestionably belongs in the intense company of Shelley, Kleist, Novalis, Lenz, and Buchner.... [Holderlin] is one of the great writers' lives, full of intensity and movement, work and projects, abrupt departures and friendships ....it was reading Holderlin that gave Rilke the impetus for his Duino Elegies. --Michael Hofmann

The greatest lyric poets, for instance Holderlin or Keats, are men in whom the mythic power of insight breaks forth again in its full intensity and objectifying power... <br>Ernst Cassirer in Language and Myth , 1946<br><br> But if there were words with which to grasp the relation between myth and the inner life from which the later poem sprang it would be those of Holderlin 'Myths, which take leave of the earth, / They return to mankind.' <br>Walter Benjamin<br><br> In the euphonious movement of its prose, in the sublimity and beauty of the figures that appear in it, it makes an impression upon me similar to the beat of the waves of the troubled sea. Indeed, this prose is music, soft melting sounds interrupted by painful dissonances, finally expiring in dark, uncanny dirges. <br>Friedrich Nietzsche<br><br> The German poet Friedrich Holderlin unquestionably belongs in the intense company of Shelley, Kleist, Novalis, Lenz, and Buchner.... [Holderlin's] is one of the great writers' lives, full of intensity and movement, work and projects, abrupt departures and friendships ....it was reading Holderlin that gave Rilke the impetus for his Duino Elegies . <br>Michael Hofmann

The greatest lyric poets, for instance Holderlin or Keats, are men in whom the mythic power of insight breaks forth again in its full intensity and objectifying power... <br>Ernst Cassirer in Language and Myth, 1946 <br> But if there were words with which to grasp the relation between myth and the inner life from which the later poem sprang it would be those of Holderlin 'Myths, which take leave of the earth, / They return to mankind.' <br>Walter Benjamin <br> In the euphonious movement of its prose, in the sublimity and beauty of the figures that appear in it, it makes an impression upon me similar to the beat of the waves of the troubled sea. Indeed, this prose is music, soft melting sounds interrupted by painful dissonances, finally expiring in dark, uncanny dirges. <br>Friedrich Nietzsche <br> The German poet Friedrich Holderlin unquestionably belongs in the intense company of Shelley, Kleist, Novalis, Lenz, and Buchner.... [Holderlin's] is one of the great writers' liv

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Friedrich Holderlin (1770-1843) is widely regarded as one of the greatest German lyric poets. In addition to his poetry and Hyperion, his only novel, he began work on a tragedy, The Death of Empedocles, which he never completed. The creative period of his life was cut short by a mental breakdown that confined him to a tower in Tu?bingen from 1807 until his death in 1843. His work had a profound influence on Hegel, Nietzsche, Rilke, Heidegger, and Celan. Ross Benjamin is a freelance writer and translator living in Brooklyn. His work has appeared in Bookforum, The Nation, The New York Times, and other publications. His translation of Kevin Vennemann's Nahe Jedenew (Close to Jedenew) is forthcoming.

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