The poet Novalus

Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg, a.k.a. Novalis, was a German poet of the 1700s. According to the Wiki article on him [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novalis], he was engaged twice, both times to extremely young girls. The first was to a girl name Sophie: "In October 1794 Novalis worked as actuary for August Coelestin Just, who was not only his boss, but also his friend and later on his biographer. During this time Novalis met the young Sophie von Kühn (1783-1797). On the 15th March 1795 he became engaged to her. In the following January, Novalis was appointed auditor to the salt works company in Weißenfels." They were engaged the following year, when Sophie was 12, but she died just a year later. Novalis was engaged for a second time to Julie von Charpentier: "Novalis became engaged for the second time, in December 1798. His fiancée was Julie von Charpentier (1788-1811), a daughter of Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Toussaint von Charpentier, a professor in Freiberg." That would've made Julie around 10 or 11 and Novalis aged 26 when they were engaged. Unfortunately, he died in 1801. The article doesn't say if they were ever actually married. In any case, Penelope Fitzgerald has written a novelized account of Novalis's love and obsession with his first love, Sophie, entitle The Blue Flower. I'm curious as to if anyone here has read it?

source: Post 'The Poet Novalus (read this one)' by 'Lateralus'; www.annabelleigh.net/messages/405521.htm; Girl Chat; 20 August 2007; Novalis died: 25 March 1801