Stefan George

Stefan George
Stefan George (1910)
Born	12 June 1868 Büdesheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse, German Empire
Died	4 December 1933 Minusio, Ticino, Switzerland
Occupation	Poet
Language	German
Nationality	German
Notable awards	Goethe Prize (1927)

Stefan Anton George (German: [ˈʃtɛfan ˈantoːn ɡeˈɔʁɡə]; 12 July 1868 – 4 December 1933) was a German poet, editor, and translator.

George was born in 1868 in Büdesheim, today part of Bingen in the Grand Duchy of Hesse (now part of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate). His father, also Stephan George, was an inn keeper and wine merchant.

His schooling was successfully concluded in 1888, after which he spent time in London and in Paris, where he was among the writers and artists who attended the Tuesday soirées held by the poet Stéphane Mallarmé. His early travels also included Vienna, where in 1891 he met, for the first time, Hugo von Hofmannsthal.

He began to publish poetry in the 1890s, while in his twenties. George founded and edited an important literary magazine called Blätter für die Kunst. He was also at the center of an influential literary and academic circle known as the George-Kreis, which included many of the leading young writers of the day, (for example Friedrich Gundolf and Ludwig Klages). In addition to sharing cultural interests, the circle reflected mystical and political themes. George knew and befriended the "Bohemian Countess" of Schwabing, Fanny zu Reventlow, who sometimes satirized the circle for its melodramatic actions and views. George and his writings were identified with the Conservative Revolutionary movement. He was a homosexual, yet exhorted his young friends to lead a celibate life like his own.