JOHANN

NEPOMUK

See also:

• COSMAS

COSMAS

See also:

• MICHAEL
• MICHAEL (1596-1645)
• MICHAEL (Hebrew Sn,q, " Who is like God? ")

MICHAEL

See also:

• DENIS (DIoNysms), SAINT
• JOHANN NEPOMUK COSMAS MICHAEL DENIS (1729-1800)

DENIS (1729-1800)  , Austrian poet, was born at Scharding on the Inn, on the 27th of September 1729 . He was brought up by the Jesuits, entered their order, and in 1759 was appointed professor in the Theresianum in Vienna, a Jesuit college . In 1784, after the suppression of the college, he was made second custodian of the court library, and seven years later became chief librarian . He died on the 29th of September 1800 . A warm admirer of Klopstock, he was one of the leading members of the group of so-called " bards "; and his original poetry, published under the title Die Lieder Sineds des Barden (1772), shows all the extravagances of the " bardic " movement . He is best remembered as the translator of Ossian (1768-1769; also published together with his own poems in 5 vols. as Ossians and Sineds Lieder, 1784) . More important than either his original poetry or his translations were his efforts to familiarize the Austrians with the literature of North Germany; his Sammlung kiirzerer Gedichte aus den neuern Dichtern Deutschlands, 3 vols . (1762-1766), was in this respect invaluable . He has also left a number of bibliographical compilations, Grundriss der Bibliographic and Bitcherkunde (1774), Grundriss der Literaturgeschichte (1776), Einleitung in die Bucherkunde (1777) and Wiens Buchdruckergeschichte bis 156o (1782) . Ossians and Sineds Lieder have not been reprinted since 1791; but a selection of his poetry edited by R . Hamel will be found in vol . 48 (1884) of Kiirschner's Deutsche Nationalliteratur .

His Literarischer Nachlass was published by J . F. von Retzer in 1802 (2 vols.) . See P. von

Hofmann-Wellenhof, Michael Denis (1881) .