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Stefan George
(1868-1933)

Active: 1890-1933 in Germany, Italy, Continental Europe

By Christophe Fricker (Duke University)

Indexing Data:

  • Active In: Germany, Italy, Continental Europe
  • Born In: Germany, Continental Europe
  • Activity: Poet, Translator

Life, Works and Times

Reader Actions

Stefan George was one of the foremost German poets around the turn of the century; he was also a prolific translator. George himself and the circles of people around him exerted considerable influence over the reception and perception of contemporary poetry and over the German intellectual and literary scene of their time. While some credit him with the renewal of German as a literary language in times of aesthetic stagnation and of Naturalism, others criticize him for his intolerance in interpersonal relations and his political leanings. George only spent a few semesters at (Berlin) university without graduating. He never learnt or practiced a profession; and, after leaving his family home, never again had a permanent home. He spent his

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First published 02 February 2007

Citation: Fricker, Christophe. "Stefan George". The Literary Encyclopedia. 2 February 2007.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5446, accessed 9 February 2010.]