Brentano, Clemens von 1778-1842
German poet, novelist and dramatist

Born in Ehrenbreitstein, he led a somewhat irresponsible early life, before becoming a Roman Catholic in 1818 and withdrawing to the monastery of D�lmen, near M�nster (1818-24), where he recorded the revelations of the nun, Anna Katharina Emmerich. In his earliest poems the peculiarities of the Romantic school are carried to excess. His writing for the stage, which includes the notable Die Gr�ndung Prags (1815, Eng trans 'The Founding of Prague'), is characterized by great dramatic power, and a wonderful humour. He was mostly successful in his novellas, particularly in the Geschichte vom braven Kasperl (1817, Eng trans 'Tale of Honest Kasper'), and with his brother-in-law Achim von Arnim he edited Des Knaben Wunderhorn ('The Boy's Magic Horn'), a collection of folk songs.

Bibliography: J B Heinreise, Clemens von Brentano (1878)