The literary career of August von Platen-Hallermünde began with military service in the Bavarian life-guards during the 1815 campaign in France. Born in Ansbach in 1796, he soon abandoned garrison life for academic pursuits at the universities of Würzburg and Erlangen, where he devoted his efforts to philology and the refined study of Oriental poetic traditions.
Transition to Literature
Platen entered the cadet school in Munich and subsequently the royal school of pages, demonstrating early aptitude for poetry. By 1818, he secured leave from his military duties to study philosophy. His work evolved through early influences of Romanticism and Spanish literary models toward a focus on formal precision and structural clarity. His volume Ghaselen, published in 1821, showcased his adoption of Eastern styles, earning recognition from figures such as Goethe for its technical elegance.
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Platen became increasingly critical of the contemporary Romantic movement, targeting what he perceived as its lack of artistic rigor and depth. He expressed these views through Aristophanic comedies, most notably Die verhängnißvolle Gabel in 1826 and Der romantische Oedipus in 1828. These works provoked significant backlash. A bitter public dispute, known as the von Platen Affaire, emerged after he attacked Heinrich Heine, leading to retaliatory disclosures regarding Platen’s private life.
Years in Italy and Final Works
Seeking refuge from the indifferent German literary environment, Platen moved to Italy in 1826, residing in Florence, Rome, and Naples. He maintained a nomadic existence, producing works such as the epic fairy-tale Die Abbassiden and the historical fragment Geschichte des Königreichs Neapel von 1414 bis 1443. Following a brief return to Munich in 1832 to compile his collected poems, he moved to Sicily in 1835 to avoid cholera, eventually dying in Syracuse in December of that year.
Fast facts
- Born: 1796, Ansbach
- Died: 5 December 1835, Syracuse
- Citizenship: Kingdom of Bavaria
- Education: University of Würzburg
- Key work: Ghaselen (1821)
- Literary style: Orientalism, Classicism
- Professional memberships: Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
- Burial site: August von Platen tomb, Syracuse
Questions readers ask
What was the nature of the conflict between Platen and Heine?
It was a public exchange of mockery and ad hominem attacks called the von Platen Affaire, triggered by Platen's anti-Semitic remarks toward Heine and Heine’s subsequent exposure of Platen’s homosexuality.
Where is August von Platen buried?
He is buried in Syracuse, specifically at the Non-Catholic Cemetery within the Museo archeologico regionale Paolo Orsi.
