The Königsberg writer Johann Georg Hamann (1730–1788) was a dialogical thinker. He was inspired and challenged in myriad ways by contemporary literature, but his thoughts were also an inspiration and a challenge to his dialectical partners. This is particularly reflected in his correspondence with Kant, Herder, Jacobi, Lavater, Claudius and others. Hamann and his correspondents struggled with fundamental questions of human existence straddling the poles between everyday experience, wisdom, sensuality and reason. The essays collected in this book elucidate Hamann's correspondence from a literary, philosophical and theological perspective, whilst providing insights into Hamann's difficult-to-understand work as well as into the letter-writing culture of the 18th century.

Dr. Manfred Beetz ist seit 1994 Professor für Neuere Deutsche Literatur an der Universität Halle-Wittenberg.