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Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger | |
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.jpg) Portrait of Adam Oehlenschläger byChristian Albrecht Jensen (1825) | |
| Born | (1779-11-14)14 November 1779 |
| Died | 20 January 1850(1850-01-20) (aged 70) Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Resting place | Frederiksberg Ældre Kirkegård, Copenhagen |
| Occupation | Poet, playwright |
| Nationality | Danish |
| Alma mater | University of Copenhagen |
| Notable works | Hakon Jarl hin Rige (1807)Axel og Valborg (1810) Nordens guder (1819) |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Kamma Rahbek (sister-in-law) Knud Lyne Rahbek (brother-in-law) |
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Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger (Danish pronunciation:[ˈɛːtɑmˈkʌtlʌpˈøˀənˌslɛːjɐ]; 14 November 1779 – 20 January 1850) was a Danish poet and playwright. He introducedromanticism intoDanish literature. He wrote the lyrics to the songDer er et yndigt land, which is one of thenational anthems of Denmark.[1][2][3][4]
He was born inVesterbro, then a suburb ofCopenhagen. His father,Joachim Conrad Oehlenschläger [da] (1748–1827) was at that timeorganist ofFrederiksberg Church and later, keeper of the royal palace ofFrederiksberg. The poet's mother Martha Marie Hansen (1745–1800) suffered fromdepression, which afterwards deepened intomelancholy madness.[note 1]
Oehlenschläger and his sisterSophie Ørsted (1782–1818) were taught only to read and write, until their twelfth year. At the age of nine, Oehlenschläger began to write fluentverses. Three years later, he attracted the notice of the poetEdvard Storm (1749–1794) and as a result Öhlenschläger received an introduction intoScandinavian mythology.[note 1][5]
Oehlenschläger wasconfirmed in 1795, and was to have been apprenticed to a tradesman in Copenhagen. He also entered the stage where he was offered a small position. In 1797 he made his appearance on the boards in several successive parts, but soon discovered that he possessed no real histrionic talent. JuristAnders Sandøe Ørsted (1778–1860) who would later marry his sister Sophie, persuaded him to quit the theatre, and in 1800 he entered theUniversity of Copenhagen. He was disturbed in his studies by the death of his mother, by his inveterate occupation with poetry, and finally by theFirst Battle of Copenhagen in April 1801, which, however, inspired a dramatic sketch (April the Second 1801), the first work of the kind by his pen that we possess.[note 1][6]
In the summer of 1802, when Oehlenschläger had an oldScandinavian romance, as well as a volume oflyrics in the press, the youngNorse philosopher,Henrik Steffens (1773–1845), returned to Copenhagen after a long visit toFriedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775–1854) in Germany. He was full of new romantic ideas. His lectures at the university, in whichGoethe andSchiller were revealed to the Danish public for the first time, created a great sensation. Steffens and Oehlenschläger met one day resulting in a conversation of sixteen hours. After Oehlenschläger returned home, he wrote at a sitting his poemGuldhornene, in a manner totally new to Danish literature. The result of his new enthusiasm speedily showed itself in a somewhat hasty volume of poems, published in 1803, now chiefly remembered as containing the piece calledSanct Hansaften-Spil.[note 1][7][8]
The next two years saw the production of several exquisite works, in particular the epic ofThors Reise til Jotunheim, the poem inhexameters calledLangelandsreisen, and the bewitching fantasyAladdin (1805). At the age of twenty-six, Oehlenschläger was universally recognised, even by the opponents of the romantic revival, as the leading poet ofDenmark. He now collected hisPoetical Writings in two volumes. He found no difficulty in obtaining a grant for foreign travel from the government, and he left Denmark for the first time, joining Steffens at theUniversity of Halle in August 1805. Here he wrote the first of his great historical tragedies,Hakon Jarl, which he sent off to Copenhagen, and then proceeded for the winter months toBerlin, where he associated withWilhelm von Humboldt,Johann Gottlieb Fichte and met Goethe for the first time.[note 1][9]
In the spring of 1806 he went on toWeimar, where he spent several months in daily intercourse with Goethe. Autumn of that year was passed withTieck inDresden, and he proceeded in December toParis. Here he resided eighteen months and wrote his three famous masterpieces,Baldur hin Gode (1808),Palnatoke (1809), andAxel og Valborg (1810).[note 1] Oehlenschläger had also made his own translation ofAladdin into German, adding some new material which does not appear in the 1805 edition; this revised version was published in Amsterdam in 1808.Ferruccio Busoni later used the text of this translation for the last (choral) movement of hisPiano Concerto Op. 39. Later editions of Oehlenschläger's play do not contain this text.[10]
In July 1808 he left Paris and spent the autumn and winter inSwitzerland as the guest ofMadame de Staël atCoppet, in the midst of her salon. In the spring of 1809, Oehlenschläger went to Rome to visitBertel Thorvaldsen, and in his house wrote the tragedy ofCorreggio. He hurriedly returned to Denmark in the spring of 1810, partly to take the chair ofaesthetics at theUniversity of Copenhagen, partly to marry the sister-in-law ofKnud Lyne Rahbek, to whom he had been long betrothed. His first course of lectures dealt with his Danish predecessorJohannes Ewald, the second with Schiller. From this time forward his literary activity became very great; in 1811 he published the Oriental tale ofAli og Gulhyndi, and in 1812 the last of his great tragedies,Stærkodder.[note 1][11]
From 1814 to 1819 his admirers were engaged in a long and angry controversy withBaggesen, who represented the olddidactic school. This contest seems to have disturbed the peace of Oehlenschläger's mind and to have undermined his genius. His talent may be said to have culminated in the cycle of verse-romances calledHelge, published in 1814. The tragedy ofHagbarth og Signe, (1815), showed a distinct diminution of his powers. In 1817 he returned to Paris, and publishedHroars Saga and the tragedy ofFostbrødrene. In 1818 he was again in Copenhagen, and wrote theidyll ofDen lille Hyrdedreng and theEddaic cycle calledNordens Guder. His next productions were thetragedies ofErik og Abel (1820) andVæringerne i Miklagaard (1826), and the epic ofHrolf Krake (1829). His last volumes wereTordenskjold (1833),Dronning Margrethe (1833),Sokrates (1835),Olaf den Hellige (1836),Knud den Store (1838),Dina (1842),Erik Glipping (1843), andKiartan og Gudrun (1847). After his death hisRecollections (1850) were published in two volumes.
Adam Oehlenschläger married Christiane Georgine Elisabeth Heger (1782–1841) in 1810. She was the sister ofKamma Rahbek (1775–1829), the wife ofKnud Lyne Rahbek (1760–1830).Oehlenschläger died 20 January 1850 and was buried inthe cemetery ofFrederiksberg Church.[12][13]
Adam Oehlenschläger was one of the principal pioneers of theromantic movement in Europe.With the exception ofLudvig Holberg (1684–1754), no Danish writer before 1870 has exercised so wide an influence. His work awoke among his countrymen an enthusiasm for the poetry and religion of their ancestors. He supplied his countrymen with romantic tragedies at a time when all eyes were turned to the stage. His plays fulfilled the stage requirements of the day, and were popular beyond all expectation. He performed to an extent that his name remains to this day synonymous with Scandinavian romance.[14]
The earliest are the best: Oehlenschlager's dramatic masterpiece being his first tragedy,Hakon Jarl. Although his inspiration came from Germany, he is not much like a German poet, except when he is consciously following Goethe; his analogy is rather to be found among English poets than his contemporaries.[note 1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Gosse, Edmund (1911). "Öhlenschläger, Adam Gottlob". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 33–34.
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| Preceded by | Rector ofUniversity of Copenhagen 1831–1832 | Succeeded by |
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