born Dec. 31, 1747, Molmerswende bei Halberstadt, Brandenburg
died June 8, 1794, Göttingen, Hanover
German poet.
He was associated with the Göttinger Hain, a circle of Sturm und Drang poets who reawakened interest in folk and nature themes. His bizarre ballad "Lenore" (1773) had a profound effect on the subsequent development of literary Romanticism throughout Europe, and he is remembered as a founder of German Romantic ballad literature. He is also noted for his Petrarchan sonnets and translations from English, especially Thomas Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry .