Johann Lauremberg
Johann Lauremberg, born in 1590 in Rostock, Germany, was a multifaceted figure known for his contributions as a poet, satirist, dramatist, and medical doctor. His academic career included positions as a professor of mathematics and engineering, where he significantly influenced the curriculum at the Danish Royal Academy of Sorø, having been appointed in 1623. Lauremberg was pivotal in advocating for a project to map Denmark, showcasing his scholarly interests in cartography and geography. His literary work is particularly noted for its impact on the evolution of German opera, with prose comedies that reflect his diverse cultural and linguistic capabilities, as he wrote in German, Latin, Danish, French, and classical Greek.
Throughout his life, Lauremberg published several influential mathematical texts, including Denmark's first book on logarithms, and wrote extensively on surveying techniques. He also served as the court poet of Denmark during the 1630s, creating dramas and lyrical pieces for royal occasions. While much scholarly focus has been placed on his satires, which provide a glimpse into the Northern European nobility's lives and dialects, his dramatic works and studies of classical Greece have garnered less attention. Lauremberg's legacy continues to be recognized for its interdisciplinary nature and the cultural insights it offers into early modern Europe.
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Johann Lauremberg
Nonfiction Writer, Poet and Playwright
- Born: February 26, 1590
- Birthplace: Rostock, Germany
- Died: February 28, 1658
Biography
Born in Rostock, Germany, in 1590, poet, satirist, and dramatist Johann Lauremberg was also a medical doctor, a professor of math and engineering, and a scholar of cartography, geography, and ancient Greek language and culture. As an author, he is noted for the influence of his prose comedies on the development of German opera.
Lauremburg taught at the University of Rostock and then at the Danish Royal Academy of Sorø. He was appointed to the latter post in 1623, after suggesting to Holger Rosencrantz, the academy’s founder, that the academy undertake a project to map Denmark. Lauremberg spent the remainder of his life on the academy’s faculty, was influential in the development of its curriculum, and was often its official spokesperson.
Lauremburg published several books on the subjects he taught, including the first text on logarithms to appear in Denmark. He published several textbooks on mathematics and wrote extensively on surveying. He wrote in numerous languages, publishing academic treatises in German, Latin, and Danish, writing poetry in French and classical Greek, and employing Low German in his dramas.
By the 1630’s, Lauremburg was the court poet of Denmark, composing dramas for court performance and occasional lyrics for weddings, births, deaths, and other noteworthy events. Scholarly attention has focused on his formal Latin and German satires, neglecting his drama and lyrics, as well as his extremely thorough study of classical Greece, published posthumously. The satires provide insight both into the lives of Northern European nobility, such as his students, and into European dialects from the period.