Happy Birthday Friedrich!

Today is the 240th birthday of Friedrich of Hardenberg, better known as Novalis. He was born in 1772 in  Oberwiederstedt near Hettstedt and was one of the mysterious kind of poets.
Gerhard Schulz, professor for German Studies in Melbourne, Australia, published a new Novalis biography, which opens with an essay on the only acknowledged portrait we know of the genius. Novalis died too young, only 29 years old in 1801.
The author very successfully presents Friedrich of Hardenberg as a much stronger person than universally believed and contradicts older pictures about him. Novalis is still fascinating and will remain so inspite of the new book.
Gerhard Schulz, Novalis, Leben und Werk Friedrich von Hardenbergs, C.H. Beck, 303 pages, 24,95€ (as ebook too!, 19,99€)
Many works by Novalis are also available in English. Novalis in German as ebooks are available for free at amazon! - Novalis in English ONLINE.