author
Ottomar Behnsch
1813–1869
A 19th-century German theologian, translator, and scholar, he is best remembered today for writing a broad survey of the English language and its early literature. His work brings together linguistic history and literary history in a way that still feels purposeful and clear.
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About the author
Born on October 24, 1813, in Sagan and died on April 2, 1869, in Breslau, he is identified in major reference sources as a German theologian and translator; the German Wikipedia entry also describes him as a politician. His surviving bibliography shows a strong interest in language and scholarship rather than fiction alone.
He is most closely associated with Geschichte der Englischen Sprache und Literatur, a German-language study tracing the development of English language and literature from early periods onward. The book has remained accessible through Project Gutenberg, which is one reason his name still appears in modern digital libraries.
Because readily available reference entries on him are brief, many personal details are hard to confirm with confidence. What can be said safely is that he belonged to the world of 19th-century German learned writing, and that his work helped introduce readers to the historical roots of English language and literature.