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Henry Von Ofterdingen A Novel Novalis Books

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Henry Von Ofterdingen A Novel Novalis Books

The translation that I read, though unidentified, appears to be identical to the one available online that was published in Cambridge, MA, in 1842, prepared from the 1802 publication of the work by Tieck and Schlegel. I'm sorry to report that this edition (my copy from "Simplicissimus Book Farm," printed on demand in San Bernardino in 2017) is loaded with typos. For example, the first sentence of the first chapter begins "The patents [sic] had already retired to rest ...," whereas the German original makes it clear that it was the "parents" ("Die Eltern") who had retired. There are innumerable such errors, e.g., "mew" for "new," "teemed" for "seemed," "beard" for "heard," etc. A "Life of the Author," apparently also by Tieck, is prepended to this edition; with a little detective work you can deduce that that introduction was written in the late 1810s. It too contains errors, e.g., twice referring to Novalis's fiancée Sophia as "Serbia." To what extent these errors are duplicated in the numerous other editions prepared from the 1842 translation, I'm not sure; I suspect all of them. The translation, in addition to being peppered with typos, is awkward and stilted--and especially Novalis's frequent lapses into verse, all of which are forced to rhyme in English to the detriment of the meaning. I understand that a newer English translation was published in 1964 by Palmer Hilty (and printed many times thereafter); I'd recommend looking into it instead if you cannot read the German original.


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Henry Von Ofterdingen A Novel Novalis Books Reviews

Novalis's posthumously published novel is remarkable not only as an early work of German Romanticism, but as one of the first experimental novels. Novalis boldly fuses conventional narrative, the literary fairy tale, and verse into a remarkable blend that is suffused throughout with the spirit of poetry, a spirit that it is the novel's mission to exalt. It is deeply saddening that the author did not live to finish this work.

*Henry von Ofterdingen* is a *Bildungsroman*; that is, a novel detailing the education and development of a particular individual. In this case, that person is a medieval poet. The reader follows Henry on an overland journey that slowly awakens in him his profound poetic gifts. Rather than merely describing Henry's development, Novalis allows to reader to share with him and vicariously experience the events and relationships that slowly stir Henry's poetic nature. Henry's meetings with individuals of different social strata, such as merchants and miners, poets and nobility, all gradually teach him the lesson of the ubiquity of poetry, for those who are sensitive enough to perceive it.

As to style, Novalis tells his tale in poetic prose that lifts the novel itself into the realms of poetry, and makes it a perfect embodiment of what it describes. Of course, those who expect a modern novel, or those to whom Romanticism brings blushes of embarrassment or annoyance, should avoid this book, as should those with short attention spans and an aversion to philosophy, or to leisurely, poetic prose.

Above all, *Henry von Ofterdingen* unfolds like the dream of the Blue Flower that inspires its hero. The novel is oneiric as few others are, in my experience. Just as one seldom appreciates a dream when one submits it to harsh rational interrogation, readers will not appreciate this work unless they submit to it as one yields to a dream. Little wonder the Surrealists and fellow travelers, such as Julien Gracq, deeply appreciated this work. Most highly recommended.
Excellent
Masterpiece mostly unpublished. This edition is not bad.
The story of Henry's growth and education as a poet. Examines the power of poetry to explain the mysteries of our world.
Henry von Ofterdingen was a legendary middle aged poet. Novalis, a poet and philosopher of Early German Romanticism, perpetuated this legend in a very lyric novel. The author tries to depict a world of perfect harmony due to the power of poetry and love. Difficult, anyway it worth the effort.
I had some specific goals in mind reading this novel fragment. It turned out to be more difficult to read than I had thought it would be. I was only familiar with Novalis' poetry, which was influential at a certain point in my life.

What makes it difficult to read? Probably the biggest reason is that it is a fragment. While the first part (Expectations) has a lot of promise, I have the feeling that it really needed the second part (The Fulfillment) to balance itself out as a book. Other reasons have most likely to do with the general nature of German Romanticism and the Bildungsroman. I always find the style a little bit sticky-- a problem often down to the translation.

Speaking of which, I have to say that I wasn't wonderfully impressed with this translation-- it felt awkward and obtuse to read. On the other hand, it has a good reputation and people whose German skills are far better than mine find it acceptable.

I got what I was looking to get out of it (the dream in literature), but I'm not sure how I would have felt about it if I wasn't reading for something specific. "Know what you are about to read" would be my advice for the potential reader.
The translation that I read, though unidentified, appears to be identical to the one available online that was published in Cambridge, MA, in 1842, prepared from the 1802 publication of the work by Tieck and Schlegel. I'm sorry to report that this edition (my copy from "Simplicissimus Book Farm," printed on demand in San Bernardino in 2017) is loaded with typos. For example, the first sentence of the first chapter begins "The patents [sic] had already retired to rest ...," whereas the German original makes it clear that it was the "parents" ("Die Eltern") who had retired. There are innumerable such errors, e.g., "mew" for "new," "teemed" for "seemed," "beard" for "heard," etc. A "Life of the Author," apparently also by Tieck, is prepended to this edition; with a little detective work you can deduce that that introduction was written in the late 1810s. It too contains errors, e.g., twice referring to Novalis's fiancée Sophia as "Serbia." To what extent these errors are duplicated in the numerous other editions prepared from the 1842 translation, I'm not sure; I suspect all of them. The translation, in addition to being peppered with typos, is awkward and stilted--and especially Novalis's frequent lapses into verse, all of which are forced to rhyme in English to the detriment of the meaning. I understand that a newer English translation was published in 1964 by Palmer Hilty (and printed many times thereafter); I'd recommend looking into it instead if you cannot read the German original.