HENRIK

HERTZ (1797–1870)  , Danish poet, was born of Jewish parents in Copenhagen on the 25th of August 1798 . In 1817 he was sent to the university . His father died in his infancy, and the family property was destroyed in the bombardment of 1807 . The boy was brought up by his relative, M . L . Nathanson, a well-known newspaper editor . Young Hertz passed his examination in law in 1825 . But his taste was all for polite literature, and in 1826–1827 two plays of his were produced, Mr Burchardt and his Family and Love and Policy; in 1828 followed the comedy of Flyttedagen . In 183o he brought out what was a complete novelty in Danish literature, a comedy in rhymed verse, A mor's Strokes of Genius . In the same year Hertz published anonymously Gengangerbrevene, or Letters from a Ghost, which he pretended were written by Baggesen, who had died in 1826 . The book was written in defence of J . L .

Heiberg, and was full of satirical humour and fine critical insight . Its success was overwhelming; but Hertz preserved his anonymity, and the secret was not known until many years later . In 1832 he published a didactic poem, Nature and Art, and Four Poetical Epistles . A Day on the Island of Als was his next comedy, followed in 1835 by The Only Fault . Hertz passed through Germany and Switzerland into Italy in 1833; he spent the winter there, and returned the following autumn through France to Denmark . In 1836 his comedy of The Savings Bank enjoyed a great success . But it was not till 1837 that he gave the full measure of his genius in the romantic national drama of Svend Dyrings Hus, a beautiful and original piece . His historical tragedy Valdemar Aiterdag was not so well received in 1839; but in 1845 he achieved an immense success with his lyrical drama Kong Rene's Dalier (King Rene's Daughter), which has been translated into almost every European language . To this succeeded the tragedy of Ninon in 1848, the romantic comedy of Tonieita in 1849, A Sacrifice in 1853i The Youngest in 1854 . His lyrical poems appeared in successive collections, dated 1832, 1840 and 1844 . • From 1858 to 1859 he edited a literary journal entitled Weekly Leaves . His last drama, Three Days in Padua, was produced in 1869, and he died on the 25th of February of the next year .

. Hertz is one of the first of Danish lyrical poets . His poems are full of

colour and passion, his versification has more witch-craft in it than any other poet's of his age, and his style is grace itself . He has all the sensuous fire of Keats without his proclivity to the antique . As a romantic dramatist he is scarcely less original . He has bequeathed to the Danish theatre, in Svend Dyrings Hus and King Rene's Daughter, two pieces which have become classic . He is a troubadour by instinct; he has little or nothing of Scandinavian local colouring, and succeeds best when he is describing the scenery or the emotions of the glowing south . His Dramatic Works (18 vols.) were published at Copenhagen in 1854–1873; and his Poems (4 vols.) in 1851–1862 .