David Farrell Krell is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, DePaul University; Brauer Visiting Professor of German Studies, Brown University; and Visiting Professor of Philosophy, University of Freiburg, Germany. He is the author of A Black Forest Walden: Conversations with Henry David Thoreau and Marlonbrando and The Cudgel and the Caress: Reflections on Cruelty and Tenderness, both also published by SUNY Press.

Retraces Hölderlin's journeys to Bordeaux and back in 1801-02, explaining why they are turning points in the great poet's life.