DROSTE-HÜLSHOFF, ANNETTE von. - German Catholic poetess and writer, b. at Hülshoff Castle (Münster), 10 Jan. 1797, d. at Meersburg Castle (Constance), 24 May 1848. Living in the full Romantic period, she did not align her work with any of the contemporary trends: her chief sources of inspiration were faith in God and love of nature—an absolute faith, yet not unaware of doubt (*V. Ich glaube, Gott, hilf meinem Unglauben*) and an intense love for her homeland.
The isolation of her existence only deepened her inspiration, and though her verses, not always easy to read, often lack melodic rhythm and are not always imbued with moral seriousness and commitment. After a volume of poetry (*Gedichte*), published anonymously in 1838 (later reissued under her name in 1844), she published in 1842 the novella *Die Judenbuche*, her finest prose work, in which she revives the legends and superstitions of her homeland. Her masterpiece is *Das geistliche Jahr* (1832), a collection of poems written between 1820 and 1839, which follow day by day the liturgical year with its feasts and commemorations, experienced with profound inner adherence. Also noteworthy is *Letzte Gaben* (1860), one of her posthumous works.