This volume develops a comprehensive profile of Martin Opitz, considered by literary scholars as the "father of German poetry." At the turn of the 16^th to the 17^th century, he fought across denominational boundaries as an advocate of tolerance and patriotic reconciliation. He advocated for the parity of German language and poetry with the language and poetry of its neighbors, and helped build the bridge from humanism to Enlightenment.

Klaus Garber, Universität Osnabrück.