The friendship poems and letters of Johann Christian Günther

"The bond of friendship measures the very longest miles," Günther wrote to his childhood friend Hahn in 1716. The poet cultivated his friendships very irregularly, but did considerable relational work to maintain them, mostly with men. Günther never sang about friendship for its own sake, but used the lyrics to solicit allies, mostly patrons. At a time when the book market was developing, he was still without exception in the old poet-patron relationship. To what extent he followed tradition in friendship poetry, where he elaborated nuances or transgressed the given norms, are guiding questions of the work. The reader asked for something new and exciting, and Günther knew how to answer, at the cost of his social reputation.