August von Platen-Hallermünde

Georg Maximilian Karl August Graf von Platen - Hallermünde ( born October 24, 1796 in Ansbach, Ansbach -Bayreuth, † December 5, 1835 in Syracuse, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ) was a German poet. He is often called August Graf von Platen or simply Count Platen.

Parents

Von Platen comes from the Rügen branch of the Counts von Platen. His father Philipp August von Platen (* June 22, 1748, † June 8, 1831 ) was a lieutenant in the Hanoverian service, as he gave the Margrave of Ansbach Alexander met during a stay in England. This brought him as chief forester to Ansbach. There he married Friederike Luise von Reitz Stone ( born March 8, 1751 † May 2, 1815 ), the daughter of the head equerry Ehrenreich of charm stone. He had six children with her, but the couple divorced in 1792. He married in 1795 the daughter of the Prussian real receding and Ansbacher Oberhof Marshal Eichler Auritz, Louise Friederike Eichler Auritz (* November 19, 1765, † May 20 1842 ).

Life

Temporarily he lived with his parents for about a year in Schwabach, but spent most of his childhood in Ansbach. With less than ten years, he became in 1806 a pupil of Munich cadets house. After four years he moved to the Royal Pagerie. He was particularly interested in foreign languages ​​and history and wrote his first verses. In 1813 he volunteered for military service and entered 1814 to the First Infantry Regiment. At this time he became aware of his homosexuality, which was of great importance for his later work of fiction, but also expressed temporarily feelings for a young Frenchwoman, the daughter of an emigrant. In this phase emerged patriotic verses. 1814/1815 he took part against Napoleon at the Battle of France. From 1814 onward, suicidal thoughts, who accompanied him throughout his life bothered him. Temporarily he thought of emigrating to America. During these years he also began to take an interest in botany.

In the spring of 1818, he received a royal scholarship and was on leave for a study of the law in Würzburg to three years of military service. Here he worked alongside law with philosophy and botany. His passion for a fellow student remained unanswered; he devoted him some poems, chiefly sonnets.

In October 1819 he moved to the University of Erlangen, gave his previous field of study, and devoted himself instead of poetry. In obtaining the Plate houses still preserved at Castle Hill and a commemorative plaque reminiscent of his house (Market 4) to him. He turned to the Persian language and literature, and published in 1821 and 1823 and New ghazals ghazals (see ghazal ). His first trip to Venice took place in autumn 1824. There, a year later, the Sonnets from Venice emerged. In its seven years, Erlanger repeatedly changed affections from to fellow students. This period is considered the poetically fruitful period in his life.

In the summer of 1826 Platen received from the military authorities permission to a two-year study in Italy. In 1828 Heinrich Heine made ​​in the Platen affair, Platen's homosexuality in the last two chapters of his Baths of Lucca public. Was triggered this personal attack Heine - and as a result, a lifelong feud between the poets - by Platen, Heine had denigrated because of his Jewish origin. Platen attack against Heine were again preceded by critical verses of Karl Immerman, who had published Heine approvingly in his travel image The North Sea (1827 ). Heine had turned away from the romance and ironically dealt with the poets of the late Romantic genre, what Platen - who saw himself forced back by the growing popularity of Heine in his literary influence - was referring to. Platen did not return from his Italian exile.

Platen brings his feelings in the sonnet It longs forever this spirit into the distance expressed.

It longs forever this spirit into the distance, And would henceforth, always strive henceforth: I can never stick to a long plaice, And I 'd have an Eden on each side. My mind moves from innerlichem disputes, Felt so much in this short life, How easy it is to abandon the home, But how difficult to find a second. But he who hates top of his soul the bad, Also from the home it will drive him away, If there is revered by the people of the servants. Far wiser is he to the Fatherland renounce, As under a childish race Bear the yoke of the blind mob hatred.

In the following years, he moved several times his residence between Rome and Naples. He wrote poetry and led a modest life. He made the acquaintance of, among others, Giacomo Leopardi; also to the Protestant theologian Gustav Gündel, a close relationship developed. Mostly, however, he was lonely and unhappy. Except for two brief visits he saw his homeland again no more. In 1835 he fled from the face of cholera from Naples to Palermo and then on to Syracuse, where he wanted to spend the winter in order to pursue historical studies. There he suffered from alcohol, colic and died, 39 years old. Marchese Landolina had him buried in the garden of his villa at Syracuse, there was no Protestant cemeteries in Sicily.

His bust was erected in the hall of fame in Munich. According to him, the Platen Gymnasium is named in his native city.

Works

Platen is primarily as a poet, a master of the sonnet and ghazal, of importance.

Poetry

• Ghaselen (1821 ) digitized
• Lyric sheets ( 1821) digitized
• New ghazals (1823 )
• Sonnets from Venice ( 1825)
• Tristan (1825 )
• Poems (1828 ) and digitized full text in German Text Archive
• Poland Songs ( 1831)

Dramas

• The Glass Slipper (1823 )
• The treasure of Rampsinit (1824 )
• The tower with the seven gates, a comedy (1825 )
• The fateful fork ( 1826) digitized; Digitized and full text in German Text Archive
• The romantic Oedipus (1829 ) and digitized full text in German Text Archive
• The League of Cambrai ( 1833) digitized
• Collected Works of Count August von Platen, 1847, digitized

Ballads

• The grave in Busento
• Harmosan
• The Pilgrim in front of St. Just

Others

• Tristan, Song (1825 )
• Stories of the Kingdom of Naples 1414-1443 ( 1833)
• The Abbasid (1834 )
• The Diaries of Count August von Platen (1896/1900)
• The Diaries of Count August von Platen, 1796-1825. Digitalisat

Werkausgaben

• Max Koch and Erich Petzet (ed.): August Graf von Platen's complete works in 12 volumes. Historical- critical edition with the inclusion of the handwritten estate. Hesse, Leipzig without year.
• GA Wolff and V. Schweizer ( ed.): Platen works. Critical edition, revised and explained. 2 vols. Bibliographical Institute, Leipzig and Vienna, undated
• August von Platen: The fatal fork. The romantic Oedipus. Reprint of the first editions. With Karl Immermann " The umhertaumelnde in the maze of the metric Cavalier ". Edited by Irmgard and Horst Denkler. Reclam, Stuttgart, 1979 ( Loeb Classical Library 118).
• Kurt Woelfel and Jürgen Link (ed.): August von Platen. Works in two volumes. Volume I: Poetry. Winkler, Munich 1982 ( Winkler World Literature, Volume II did not appear ).

Reprints

• Sonnets from Venice. Edited and with an afterword by Ulrich Klappstein. With 13 photographs by Hans -Joachim Polleichtner. hohesufer.com, Hannover 2012 ISBN. 978-3-941513-26-6.