Called by J. W. Eaton "the model of the intellectual woman" in the Danish society of her time, Meta Klopstock has only begun to be given full recognition as a writer in the twentieth century. In his review of the 1956 edition of her letters, H. T. Betteridge wrote: "In my experience only Goethe's mother and perhaps Bismarck can equal her in making themselves and their surroundings come to life for us." It was not until 1950 that the University of Hamburg acquired an important portion of her work, which was previously held by a private estate.

Margareta Moller was born in Hamburg on 16 March 1728 to Peter Moller, a merchant, and Margarete Moller, née Frieling. She learned to read French, Italian, and English. At a friend's house in 1751 she discovered some torn-up bits of paper intended for use in haircurling; pasted together, they turned out to be a...