About
Stefan George (1868-1933) was a German poet and translator, regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets in the German language. Founder of the influential literary magazine Blätter für die Kunst in 1892, he was the chief advocate of art for art's sake in German letters. His major collections include Hymnen, Algabal, Das Jahr der Seele, and Der Stern des Bundes. He also translated Dante's Divine Comedy, Shakespeare's Sonnets, and Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal into German. Around him formed the George-Kreis, an elite intellectual circle that conceived of itself as a 'secret Germany'. He rejected the Nazi regime's attempts to co-opt him and emigrated to Switzerland in 1933.
* 1868-07-12 — † 1933-12-04
Major works
- Hymnen (1890)poetry collection
- Algabal (1892)poetry collection
- Das Jahr der Seele (1897)poetry collection
- Der Stern des Bundes (1913)poetry collection
- Das neue Reich (1928)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1892Founded the literary magazine Blätter für die Kunst.
- 1927Awarded the Goethe Prize.
- 1933Emigrated to Switzerland, refusing any compromise with the Nazi regime.
Themes
art for art's sakesymbolismintellectual elitismbeauty and harmonyspiritual community
Sources: britannica.com · cambridge.org · hsb-rhein-waal.digibib.net