Friedrich von Hagedorn
Friedrich von Hagedorn was a notable German poet born on April 23, 1708, in Hamburg. He came from a background enriched by his father's role as a Danish minister, fostering an environment of scientific and literary interest. Hagedorn received his education at a Hamburg gymnasium before pursuing law studies at the politically progressive University of Jena. Upon returning to Hamburg in 1729, he initially struggled financially but soon found work as a secretary for the Danish ambassador in London. His literary career began with the publication of his first poetry collection, "Versuch einiger Gedichte," in the same year. In 1733, he secured a stable position with the Englischer Hof trading company, which allowed him to write more freely. Hagedorn's poetry, characterized by light love themes, emerged during a period of cultural recovery in Germany following the Thirty Years War. His influence on German literature persisted until the late eighteenth century, with comparisons drawn to renowned poets like La Fontaine and Horace. He passed away in October 1754, and a comprehensive collection of his works was published three years later.
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Friedrich von Hagedorn
- Born: April 23, 1708
- Birthplace: Hamburg, Germany
- Died: October 28, 1754
Biography
Friedrich Von Hagedorn was born in Hamburg, Germany, on April 23, 1708. His father was a Danish minister, with scientific and literary interests. Friedrich was educated at the Hamburg gymnasium (academic high school), and went to study law at Jena in 1726. Jena, now the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, was and still is considered one of the most politically radical universities in Germany.
Hagedorn returned to his home in Hamburg in 1729, where he got a job as an unpaid secretary for the Danish ambassador in London. Also following his return from Jena, Hagedorn had his first collection of poems published in 1729, with the title Versuch einiger Gedichte. During this time, Hagedorn lived, for the most part, in poverty, and he had many hardships, surviving with little to no money to speak of. In 1733, however, he got a job as a secretary to the Englischer Hof, or English Court, a trading company reaching back to the thirteenth century. Soon after acquiring this job, he married, and was able to work and write at his leisure, until his death in October of 1754. Three years after his death, a collection of his entire works was published in Hamburg.
Hagedorn was a poet, one of the first to have produced light love poetry after Germany’s recovery from its Thirty Years War. His stories and writing have been compared to such poets as La Fontaine and Horace. His work was undeniably influential in German writing and poetry until the late eighteenth century.