Catharina Regina von Greiffenberg (1633-1694) was an Austrian-born writer of the early modern period, one of the foremost German-speaking writers of her time. When her father died, her half-uncle, Hans Rudolf von Greiffenberg, became her guardian. Under his tutelage she received a through education, reading a wide range of subjects and learning several languages.
After experiencing a spiritual awakening as a young adult, she resolved to devote her life to God, and to glorify God through her writing. She learned poetic technique from the family’s neighbour, noted translator Johann Wilhelm von Stubenberg. Stubenberg also introduced her to Sigmund von Birken, a poet, editor and literary impresario in Nuremberg. Birken eventually helped Greiffenberg find a publisher for her poetry, and became a lifelong friend.
Despite stringent restrictions on Protestants in the Austrian empire, Greiffenberg remained a staunch Lutheran, and made several trips to Vienna in the hope of convincing the Emperor to turn Protestant. However, like most of the Lutheran nobility in Austrian lands, she eventually left. Nuremberg had become a refuge for many of her compatriots, and it became her home, too. She died there in 1694.
Greiffenberg’s writing blends technical skill with vivid imagery and intense feeling. German is a language noted for its abundance of compound words, but even so, Greiffenberg is remarkable for her liberal use of unusual word combinations. Her metaphors are startling, extravagant, and sometimes difficult to fathom; her work is rich in contrast and paradox. She is perhaps best known for her poetry, particularly her first book, Geistliche Sonnette, Lieder und Gedichte (Spiritual Sonnets, Songs and Poems), published in 1662. She also wrote a work of epic verse aimed at uniting people of faith under Protestantism. But the greater volume of her work is in prose: three volumes of meditations on the incarnation, life, and death of Christ.
Geistliche Sonnette, Lieder und Gedichte, the source for all our translations, contains 250 devotional sonnets as well as many other lyric poems. The sonnets are divided into the “first hundred,” “second hundred,” and a third group of fifty. The first group deals with subjects such as faith, virtue, suffering, and divine providence; the second follows the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, with particular attention to his suffering. Just over half of the sonnets in the third group are about the seasons of the year, with the others treating a variety of subjects.
Greiffenberg’s deeply spiritual poetry was noted and admired in the 17th century, but neglected when religious poetry fell out of favour. Since the 1960s, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in her work, especially among scholars interested in literature by women. Much of the writing about Greiffenberg and her work is in German, but there are some helpful sources in English.
For more about Greiffenberg:
“Greiffenberg,” from the Google web site on German literature, has a brief biography by Madeleine Brook and suggestions for further reading.
Meditations on the Incarnation, Passion and Death of Jesus Christ: This selection of Greiffenberg’s prose meditations, translated and edited by Lynne Tatlock, contains an excellent introduction to her life, context, and works.
Sonnets of Catharina von Greiffenberg: Methods of Composition by Flora Kimmich: Although the detailed analysis of the sonnets may not interest casual readers, the introduction is quite helpful.
Ute Brandes’ article on Greiffenberg in Women Writers in German-Speaking Countries: A Bio-Bibliographical Critical Sourcebook.