Author Description

Friedrich Holderlin (1770-1843) has long been recognized as one of the greatest poets of the German language, but his importance to philosophy has surfaced only comparatively recently. Among the most prominent figures in the rediscovery of Holderlin's thought is Dieter Henrich, who, in a series of highly influential studies over the last thirty years, has shown that Holderlin played a decisive role in the development of philosophy from Kant to Hegel, and hence in the formation of German Idealism. This volume includes six of Henrich's most important essays on Holderlin's philosophical significance. Among the topics discussed are Holderlin's motivation and methodological orientation in his work on German Idealism, the intellectual atmosphere of Holderlin's student years and the philosophical problems that occupied him, Holderlin's attitude toward any first-principle philosophy, and the complex personal and philosophical relationships between Hegel and Holderlin. The last essay is a long, detailed interpretation of one of Holderlin's greatest poems, "Remembrance." In elucidating its lyric composition and structure, Henrich also seeks to show how it incorporates and develops Holderlin's philosophical thought.