Overview

The first English translation of Hölderlin's complete correspondence, with a full introduction and notes. Friedrich Hölderlin (1770–1843) is widely acknowledged to be one of the most significant European poets and thinkers. His poems fascinate and compel; his role in the development of German Idealism is well-known; and his writings continue to shape philosophical reflections on subjectivity and the place of poetry in the world. Hölderlin's correspondence is indispensable for anyone wanting to come to terms with his work, yet until now only selections have been available in English. This new and complete edition, which also includes all the surviving letters to Hölderlin, ranges from early letters written while he was still at school, via letters responding to the French Revolution and its consequences in Germany, relaying to Hegel his arguments with Fichte's lectures, or setting out his poetic thinking, to the final letters written in his madness to his mother. The chief source of what we know of Hölderlin’s biography, this correspondence vitally illuminates his poetry and thought at every point.

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Reviews

""This translation is, in a word, exquisite. I was astonished by the grace with which Hölderlin's intricate prose is rendered. The English version unfolds with clarity, yet without reducing the complexity and even occasional breathlessness of Hölderlin's formulations. One can follow with precision the differences in tone and idiom that Hölderlin adopts according to whether he is addressing a trusted friend or an idealized and highly influential model. Meanwhile, the idiosyncrasies of Hölderlin’s correspondents—I am thinking especially of Susette Gontard—are conveyed with brilliance."" — Kristina Mendicino, author of Passive Voices (On the Subject of Phenomenology and Other Figures of Speech) ""A great contribution to Anglophone readers and scholars of Hölderlin. Charlie Louth strikes an ideal balance between faithfulness to the German and idiomatic English, while capturing the nuances of Hölderlin’s voice."" — Priscilla Hayden-Roy, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Author Information

Charlie Louth is Professor of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Queen's College, Oxford. He is the author of several books, including Hölderlin and the Dynamics of Translation and Rilke: The Life of the Work.

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