Christian Hofmann von Hofmannswaldau

Christian Hofmann von Hofmannswaldau (born Dec. 25, 1617, Breslau, Silesia—died April 18, 1679, Breslau) was a poet who was the leading representative of the “Second Silesian School,” the German counterpart to the Baroque extravagance of the Italian poets Giambattista Marino and Giovanni Battista Guarini and the Spanish poet Luis de Góngora.

While studying at Danzig, he met and was influenced by the great writer and theorist Martin Opitz. Having travelled widely, he returned to Breslau in 1646 to take a leading administrative post, which he held until his death. He wrote a quantity of verse, both religious and secular, characterized by eroticism and by exaggerated, high-flown expression. His most characteristic work is Heldenbriefe (1663; “Heroes’ Letters”), a collection of prose and verse love letters giving full rein to his lascivious, extravagant style. He also published another collection of verse, Grabschriften (1643; “Epitaphs”), and Deutsche Übersetzungen und Gedichte (1673; “German Translations and Poetry”); his translations include Guarini’s famous poem “Il pastor fido.”