Benedikte Naubert (born Christiana Benedicta Hebenstreit; 13 September 1756 – 12 January 1819) was a German writer who anonymously published more than 50 historical novels and is considered a pioneer of the genre in the 1780s. Naubert wrote under the pseudonyms Verfasser des Walther von Montbarry, Verfasser der Alme, Verfasserin des Walther von Montbarry, and Fontanges. Today she is largely unknown, even in Germany.

Biography

She was born in Leipzig, the daughter of professor of medicine, Johann Ernst Hebenstreit, who died in December 1757. From her step-brother, a professor of theology, Naubert received a thorough education in philosophy, history, Latin, and Greek. She also learned to play the piano and harp and taught herself Italian, English, and French. She began writing and published her first book in her mid-twenties, Heerfort und Klärchen, published anonymously. From there she wrote a novel per year and often more. Several men were suspected to have written Naubert's works. In 1797, at age 41, she married Lorenz Holderieder, a merchant and estate owner in Naumberg, who died in 1800. Naubert then married Johann Georg Naubert. As she aged Naubert's eyes and ears became weak, causing Naubert to write her last publications through dictation. Against her will, in 1817 her identity was revealed in an article in the Zeitung für die elegante Welt. Her next book, Rosalba (1817), bore her true name for the first time. She died in 1819 in Leipzig, where she had traveled for an eye operation.

Literary-historical significance

Naubert chose anonymity while publishing her works. Using only pseudonyms, Naubert received high praise for her publications. The Allgemeiner Litterarischer Anzeiger wrote on Naubert's anonymity, saying "the writings of this anonym... belong without a doubt to the better products of our literature". The public believed she was male because of her in-depth knowledge of philosophy, history, and classical languages. Körner wrote to Schiller about the anonymous writer saying, "all these works appear to be from a man, and not a mediocre one." However, after K. J. Schütz revealed her true identity, the reviews changed. Her works without the veil of anonymity found criticism with many reviewers who claimed she wrote in imitation "of men she was like or presumably emulated." A monograph by Hilary Brown on Naubert's study of and influence on English literature was published in 2005.

Published works

Benedikte Naubert's published works as cited by An Encyclopedia of Continental Women Writers.

Novels

Short story collections

English translations