Maximilian Kronberger, known familiarly as Maximin (April 15, 1888 – April 16, 1904), was a German poet and a significant figure in the literary circle of Stefan George (the so‑called George‑Kreis).
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Maximin came to the attention of Stefan George in Munich in 1903 (according to some sources, in March 1902; others cite 1901 as the date of their original meeting); he died unexpectedly of meningitis the following year, on the day after his 16th birthday. He was "idealized [by George] to the point of proclaiming him a god, following his death... the cult of 'Maximin' became an integral part of the George circle's practice..."[1] The Maximin-Erlebnis certainly provided George with inspiration for his work in subsequent years.
Thirty-three of Kronberger's poems are included in the posthumously published collective volume, Maximin: Ein Gedenkbuch (now a rare book).[2]
Primary references
edit- Maximilian Kronberger, Gedichte, Tagebücher, Briefe, ed. Georg Peter Landmann, Stefan-George-Stiftung (Stuttgart, Klett‑Cotta, 1987).
- Maximilian Kronberger, Maximilian Kronberger: Nachlass (Zurich, Bürdeke, 1937).
Subsidiary references
edit- Claus-Artur Scheier, 'Maximins Lichtung: Philosophische Bemerkungen zu Georges Gott', George‑Jahrbuch (Tübingen), No. 1 (1996/1997), pp. 80–106.
- Andreas Martin Mauz, 'Gedicht und Gebet: Aspekte einer Familienähnlichkeit', unpublished M.A. dissertation, University of Basle, 2001.
- Robert E. Norton, Secret Germany: Stefan George and his Circle (Ithaca, New York, Cornell University Press, 2002).
See also
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Notes
edit- ^ David Fernbach, 'Prophet-pariah', New Left Review, vol. 18 (November–December 2002).
- ^ Stefan George, comp., Maximin: Ein Gedenkbuch, with illustrations (Ausschmueckung) by Melchior Lechter (Berlin, Blätter für die Kunst, 1907); includes a portrait photograph of Maximin taken by Stefan George; limited edition of 200 numbered copies (to be consulted at Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in New Haven, Connecticut).