Peter Härtling’s novel “Hölderlin,” originally published 20 years ago, marks a turning point in the author’s work. The novel became a model for literary-biographical studies of an artist’s life, and has remained unexpectedly topical in its human and historical tensions. With expertise and sensitivity, literary imagination and empathy, Härtling succeeds in describing Hölderlin as a man and poet and to portray his life and times in a way that makes them come alive to the reader. In the process, Härtling manages to describe not just Hölderlin the politically engaged but also Hölderlin the lover in a fresh and nuanced way. Yet the novel isn’t just a by-now-famous version of Hölderlin’s life as it may have been, but also marks a first in terms of how Härtling integrates his own work process, and his relationship to Hölderlin, his work and the landscape from which he draws inspiration, into the novel.
