August Buchner

August Buchner
Buchner , engraving by Johann Jacob Haid
Born	(1591-11-02)2 November 1591 Dresden
Died	12 February 1661(1661-02-12) (aged 69) Apollensdorf
Education	Landesschule Pforta University of Wittenberg
Occupation	Philologist Poet Professor of poetry Professor of rhetoric University director

August Buchner (2 November 1591 – 12 February 1661) was a German philologist, poet and literary scholar, an influential professor of poetry and rhetoric at the University of Wittenberg.

Buchner was born in Dresden the son of Paul Buchner () and his wife Maria, the daughter of the major of Dresden Bastian Kröß (). After private education, he attended from 17 November 1604 the Landesschule Pforta, where he received education in religion, classical languages and the liberal arts. He studied at the University of Wittenberg from 19 November 1610, first law and philosophy. He studied poetry with Friedrich Taubmann () and Johann Rodenberg (), ethics with Balthasar Meisner (), Greek with Erasmus Schmidt (), and rhetoric with Adam Theodor Siber ().

Before he achieved the magister degree, he was appointed professor of poetry in 1616 as the successor of Rodenberg by the court of Saxony. Among his students are Simon Dach, Paul Fleming, Johann Franck, Paul Gerhardt, Christian Gueintz, Christian Keymann, Balthasar Kindermann, Johann Klaj, Martin Opitz, David Schirmer, Andreas Tscherning, Jakob Thomasius, Philipp von Zesen and Caspar Ziegler. After Opitz had died, Buchner was regarded as most influential for German Baroque poetry. He was Rektor of the university in 1618, 1632 and 1654. He died in Apollensdorf.