author
Sidonia Hedwig Zäunemann
1714–1740
A bold early 18th-century German poet, she wrote with unusual independence and curiosity, and became known for stepping beyond the limits usually set for women of her time.
1 Audiobook
Die von denen Faunen gepeitschte Laster
by Sidonia Hedwig Zäunemann
About the author
Born in Erfurt in 1714, Sidonia Hedwig Zäunemann grew up in a strict middle-class family and showed a strong desire to learn from an early age. She wrote poetry while still young and was later crowned poet laureate in Göttingen, an honor that brought her wider attention.
She is often remembered not only for her poems but also for the force of her character. Contemporary accounts describe her as unusually independent, interested in travel and firsthand experience, and willing to challenge the expectations placed on women in the early 1700s.
Her life was very short: she died in 1740 while trying to cross a flooded river on the way to visit her sister. Even so, she left behind a striking reputation as a gifted and unconventional voice in German literature.