[German Version]

(Jul 3, 1683, Upham – Apr 5, 1765, Welwyn), English playwright and poet. He began as a jurist in Oxford; he met with little success as a poet and tragedian, but finally as an Anglican priest he found a position as royal chaplain. After the death of his wife, he wrote The Complaint, or Night Thoughts on Life, Death and Immortality (1742–1744), a monumental, lengthy poem in blank verse, which brought him international fame. Somber piety, a humble assurance of faith, and the impression of genuine sensibility made his Night Thoughts – meant as a response to Alexander Pope’…