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The Anagram Poetry of the Danish Poet Henrik Albertsen Hamilton (ca. 1590- after 1623) and the Swedish Poet Georg Stiernhielm (1598-1672)

Svensson, Johanna LU and Nyberg, Lars LU (2025) In Poesis 3. p.119-143
Abstract
One important feature closely connected with the Baroque is elaborate word play, such as the frequent use of anagrams. Taking Nicolaus Reusner’s Anagrammatographia and Guillaume Leblanc’s work on anagram poetry as our point of departure, we discuss the use of anagrams and acrostics in the works of the Danish poet Henrik Albertsen Hamilton and the Swedish poet Georg Stiernhielm. We take a closer look at a few striking examples, but also discuss some more general aspects, such as the question if the anagram or acrostic is to be seen mainly as a witty word play, or if we can detect a deeper symbolic significance. In the case of Stiernhielm, his poetry is deeply imbued with neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophy, and his word play seems to range... (More)
One important feature closely connected with the Baroque is elaborate word play, such as the frequent use of anagrams. Taking Nicolaus Reusner’s Anagrammatographia and Guillaume Leblanc’s work on anagram poetry as our point of departure, we discuss the use of anagrams and acrostics in the works of the Danish poet Henrik Albertsen Hamilton and the Swedish poet Georg Stiernhielm. We take a closer look at a few striking examples, but also discuss some more general aspects, such as the question if the anagram or acrostic is to be seen mainly as a witty word play, or if we can detect a deeper symbolic significance. In the case of Stiernhielm, his poetry is deeply imbued with neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophy, and his word play seems to range between lusus and gravitas, often in the same poem. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
host publication
Lateinische Literatur des Barock : Inhalte, Formen und Funktionen - Inhalte, Formen und Funktionen
series title
Poesis
editor
Hintzen, Beate
volume
3
pages
119 - 143
publisher
Brill
ISSN
2747-3813
ISBN
978-3-7705-6941-0
978-3-8467-6941-6
DOI
10.30965/9783846769416_008
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7beb35f0-23e5-40ec-baf0-b03e4e9a74a2
date added to LUP
2025-03-03 10:52:16
date last changed
2026-05-06 11:15:20
@inbook{7beb35f0-23e5-40ec-baf0-b03e4e9a74a2,
  abstract     = {{One important feature closely connected with the Baroque is elaborate word play, such as the frequent use of anagrams. Taking Nicolaus Reusner’s Anagrammatographia and Guillaume Leblanc’s work on anagram poetry as our point of departure, we discuss the use of anagrams and acrostics in the works of the Danish poet Henrik Albertsen Hamilton and the Swedish poet Georg Stiernhielm. We take a closer look at a few striking examples, but also discuss some more general aspects, such as the question if the anagram or acrostic is to be seen mainly as a witty word play, or if we can detect a deeper symbolic significance. In the case of Stiernhielm, his poetry is deeply imbued with neoplatonic and Hermetic philosophy, and his word play seems to range between lusus and gravitas, often in the same poem.}},
  author       = {{Svensson, Johanna and Nyberg, Lars}},
  booktitle    = {{Lateinische Literatur des Barock : Inhalte, Formen und Funktionen}},
  editor       = {{Hintzen, Beate}},
  isbn         = {{978-3-7705-6941-0}},
  issn         = {{2747-3813}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{119--143}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{Poesis}},
  title        = {{The Anagram Poetry of the Danish Poet Henrik Albertsen Hamilton (ca. 1590- after 1623) and the Swedish Poet Georg Stiernhielm (1598-1672)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.30965/9783846769416_008}},
  doi          = {{10.30965/9783846769416_008}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}