author
Christoph August Tiedge
1752–1841
A German poet best remembered for the philosophical poem Urania, he was widely read in his own time and moved in important literary circles in Berlin and Dresden.
1 Audiobook
Die Einsamkeit
by Christoph August Tiedge
About the author
Born in Gardelegen on December 14, 1752, Christoph August Tiedge studied law at Halle before turning toward a literary life. He worked in several posts, including as a tutor and secretary, and gradually became known as a poet.
His reputation rested above all on Urania (1801), a reflective, moral-philosophical poem that found a large readership in the early 19th century. Tiedge was also closely associated with the writer Elisa von der Recke, traveling with her and later living in Dresden, where he remained an established figure in cultural life.
Though he is less widely read today than some of his contemporaries, Tiedge offers a clear view into the thoughtful, idealistic side of German literature around 1800. He died in Dresden on March 8, 1841.