Oehlenschläger, Adam Gottlob (1779–1850)

Danish poet and playwright. His volume of Digte/Poems 1803, containing the symbolic Guldhornene/The Golden Horns, established him as the leading Romantic poet of Denmark and marked the beginning of a new era in Danish literature. In 1805 he published two volumes of Poetiske Skrifter/Poetic Works, which included the fairytale play Aladdin. His tragedies include Hakon Jarl/Earl Hakon 1807, Baldur hin gode/Baldur the Good 1808, Palnatoke 1809, and Axel og Valborg/Axel and Valborg 1810. Other works include the Nordic verse cycles Helge 1814 and Nordens guder/Gods of the North 1819. However, it is for his lyric poetry that he is mostly remembered today.

He was born in Copenhagen. An encounter with the Norwegian philosopher Henrik Steffens, who converted him to Romanticism, proved decisive in his literary development. Immediately after meeting Steffens, Oehlenschläger wrote Guldhornene, in completely different vein from his earlier work. He travelled on the Continent for four years 1805–09, making the acquaintance of Goethe, and writing some of his most famous northern tragedies. In 1809 he was appointed to the chair of aesthetics at Copenhagen University.