author
Richard Dehmel
1863–1920
A bold, influential German poet, he wrote with unusual intensity about love, modern life, and social conflict. His verse stirred controversy in its day and later inspired major composers including Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg.
3 Audiobooks
Gesammelte Werke in drei Bänden (3/3)
by Richard Dehmel
Gesammelte Werke in drei Bänden (2/3)
by Richard Dehmel
Gesammelte Werke in drei Bänden (1/3)
by Richard Dehmel
About the author
Born on November 18, 1863, in Brandenburg, Richard Dehmel became one of the most widely discussed German poets of the years before World War I. He was known for pushing poetry toward more modern subjects and language, blending lyrical music with themes of sensuality, inner conflict, and everyday social reality.
His work often shocked conservative readers, and he faced legal trouble over charges including obscenity and blasphemy, though he was acquitted. That public controversy only added to his reputation as a writer willing to test the limits of what poetry could say.
Dehmel died on February 8, 1920, in Blankenese near Hamburg. His literary influence lasted well beyond his lifetime, and his poems were set to music by important composers such as Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg, helping carry his words into concert halls as well as onto the page.