BAGGESEN, JENS

(1764-1826)

A Danish poet, Baggesen started writing poetry early and attracted the attention of, among others, the Danish preromantic poetJohannes Ewald. He had much success with a collection entitledComiske Fortællinger(1785; Comic Tales), in which he put various anecdotes and tales into verse, much like the Dano-Norwegian poetJohan Herman Wessel. Baggesen also published collections of his occasional poetry. Baggesen is remembered chiefly as the author of Denmark's first truly artistic travel narrative,Labyrinten(1792-1793), an account of a three-year trip through Germany in which he was adaptable, got along well with a wide variety of people, and enjoyed himself very much; his readers also enjoyed his book. In the year 1800 Baggesen moved to Germany.