Spirova, E.M. The Influence of Holderlin on Hegel’s Creative Work

Abstract: A German poet Friedrich Holderlin (1770 — 1843) knew Hegel very well. There is quite a reasonable opinion that the poet had a great impact on the philosopher and his metaphysical views. This opinion is also supported by the fact that Holderlin was quite philosophical in his creative writings and was especially attracted to the ideas introduced by the ancient philosophers. This is particularly reflected in his drama ‘Empedocles’ and a whole range of lyric verses. For the poet Hellas was not only the great culture but also the object of admiration as well as metaphysical and poetic interpretation. Hellas seemed a true Paradise too Holderlin and therefore he described it in the spirit of pantheism. Holderlin’s philosophical pathos also showed itself in his sarcastic criticism of German triviality and philistinism. Hegel fancied the poet a lot. By using the historical method, the author of the present article tries to carry out the phenomenological reconstruction of the relations between the poet and the philosopher. The author uses not only documents but also the method of ‘allowable imagination’ to imagine the details o their meetings and friendship. The novelty of this approach is that the author states that it was not only Holderlin who influenced Hegel and his views. According to the author, Hegel also managed to sparkle the heart of the poet by discussing philosophical topics with him which was eventually reflected in the poet’s creative work. This side of the topic is viewed for the first time in scientific literature.

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