Werke und Korrespondenz

Beginning in the mid-1760s, a circle of young literati was formed, primarily through the initiative of Martin Kempe of Königsberg, known as the Pegnesischer Blumenordnen, or Pegnitz Flower Society. The writers came from different places around the Baltic region, often beyond the borders of the Holy Roman Empire; they were all engaged in an exchange of letters with the Nuremberg poet Sigmund von Birken, and were all counseled and supported by him. This volume brings to light all of the correspondence that has been preserved, most of it for the first time, and provides detailed commentary. The collection offers great insights into the difficulties of literary production for writers who were far from the centers of the old Empire.