BENEDIKTE NAUBERT (1752-1819)

Christiana Benedicta Hebenstreit. This name may not ring a bell, nor does Benedikte Naubert's name.... A pure Leipzig native and successful author, however, whose birthplace is still located in the city's historic centre. As prolific as it was discreet, she published some fifty historical novels anonymously, before her true identity was revealed in 1817, probably without her consent, in the Journal de la société élégante, on the occasion of her literary creation entitled Rosalba. Some of Benedikte Naubert's work has since been translated into several foreign languages, including English and French. The Germans consider it today and rightly so as the reference of the German historical novel. The novelist remains known throughout the country for her fascinating narrative works, notably for Konradin von Schwaben and Walter von Montbarry.