Johannes Ewald

Johannes Ewald (18 November 1743 – 17 March 1781) was a Danish national dramatist, psalm writer and poet. The lyrics of a song from one of his plays are used for one of the Danish national anthems, Kong Christian stod ved højen mast which has equal status of national anthem together with Der er et yndigt land. Quite until the days of romanticism, Ewald was considered the unsurpassed Danish poet. Today he is probably more lauded than read; though considered classics, only few of his works have become popular.

Biography

He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Ewald grew up in a strongly pietistic parsonage.

His father was Enevold Ewald (1696-1754), vicar at the orphanage in Copenhagen. His maternal grandmother Marie Wulf (1685–1738), was a pietist and later a follower of the Moravian Church.

He was fatherless from an early age. He was sent to school in the Duchy of Schleswig, his father's birthplace, and returned to enter the University of Copenhagen in 1758. At 15 he ran away along with his brother and enlisted in the Prussian service. Being compelled to join a regiment of artillery at Magdeburg, instead of being attached to the hussars as he had been promised, he deserted the Prussian standard in the Seven Years' War, and entered the Austrian service, where he was made a non-commissioned officer. After a few months he again deserted, returned home. He had returned from the Seven Years' War seriously weakened.

He began to apply himself seriously to theology and in 1762 he became cand.theol. in 1762. Although he was educated as a theologian, but his real interest was in literature. An unhappy love for Arendse Hulegaard, inspired his later poetry deeply. After the death of his father, his mother was remarried to Arendse's uncle. Arendse later married another.