Heinrich Christian Boie was, by his own admission, a poet possessed of only moderate skills of versification and inclined to the light and elegant expression of second- and third-rank eighteenth-century poets. Nevertheless, his literary stature has been secured by his activity as editor of two of the most important literary journals of the century, the Göttinger Musenalmanach (Göttingen Almanac of the Muses) and the Deutsches Museum (German Museum). With his tireless efforts to support and encourage young talent and his remarkable ability to attract all the major writers of his time, regardless of their conflicting viewpoints, Boie worked unselfishly to promote the development of German literature.

Boie was born on 19 July 1744 in Meldorf, Holstein, the son of a preacher, Johann Friedrich Boie, and Engel Katharina Haberkorn Boie. In 1757 his father received a promotion and moved to Flensburg; he was eventually appointed church provost by...