Would Hölderlin be a barroque translator?

Abstract

This article reevaluates W. Benjamin’s notion of “baroqueness” which has been decisive in the reception of Hölderlin’s translations and in the Brazilian art movement of concretismo. After discussing the general criteria, we show that Hölderlin’s versions are less baroque than they are generally considered. The strangeness and exuberance of his translations owes more to a surprisingly modern view of classical Greece, a view that anticipates the discoveries of contemporary anthropology.