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Susette Gontard

  • Susette Borkenstein
Sort Name
Gontard, Susette
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Type
Person
Gender
Female
Date of birth
1769-02-09
Place of birth
Hamburg
Date of death
1802-06-22
Place of death
Frankfurt am Main

Wikipedia

Susette Gontard (née Borkenstein; 1769 – 1802), dubbed Diotima by the German poet Friedrich Hölderlin after Diotima of Mantinea, was the inspiration for Hölderlin's novel Hyperion, published in 1797–1799. She was the wife of Frankfurt banker Jakob Friedrich Gontard, Hölderlin's employer. It is generally believed that Hölderlin's passion for her contributed to his descent into insanity. Hölderlin and Gontard exchanged a large number of letters, which were preserved and published in many works.

Susette Gontard married textile merchant Jakob Friedrich Gontard at the age of seventeen. Four busts of her were made by sculptor Landolin Ohmacht, one of which is currently on display at the Liebieghaus in Frankfurt.

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Last Modified
2024-10-06