After finishing my PhD in philosophy in 2013, I decided to work on something different. I didn’t want to write more papers on philosophers whose work has already been studied in detail. I discovered that many people want to study and teach a more diverse history of philosophy – but that without translations, commentary and publicity on lesser-known and marginalised figures and traditions, it’s difficult to do. So I decided to help provide these resources for diversifying the canon. And then I found, and fell in love with, the work of early 19th century German philosopher Karoline von Günderrode…
Sarah Cameron, Shirking Your Responsibilities sarahcameroninfo@gmail.com
Karoline von Günderrode: Philosophical Writings
Forthcoming 27 February 2026 in OUP’s Oxford New Histories of Philosophy series and available for pre-order. This collection of translations of work by German poet, dramatist, and philosopher Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806) includes selections from Günderrode’s published works, notes from her philosophical studies, and letters, with commentary highlighting the philosophical concerns of her writings. Günderrode’s work is an unmined source of insight into German Romanticism, Idealism, and the reception of Indian, Persian and Islamic thought in Europe. The commentaries make Günderrode’s contributions to these traditions accessible and can help with teaching. (Note: This collection was previously titled Philosophical Fragments; the only change is in the name.)
Hope & the Kantian Legacy: New Contributions to the History of Optimism
Part of Bloomsbury’s Studies in Modern German Philosophy series. This collection, which I co-edited with Katerina Mihaylova, includes papers on hope in the work of Kant, Beck, Tieftrunk, Fichte, Forberg, Hoffbauer, Wilhelm von Humboldt, Schleiermacher, Eschenmayer, Fries, Schelling, Novalis, Günderrode, Georg Friedrich Creuzer, Schopenhauer, and Kierkegaard. Read reviews here, here and here!
~find it on goodreads~
Women Philosophers in the Long 19th Century: The German Tradition
This anthology, edited by Kristin Gjesdal and Dalia Nassar and featuring my translations, includes masterfully selected material by nine historical women philosophers from the German philosophical tradition. Karoline von Günderrode (1780-1806), Bettina Brentano-von Arnim (1785-1859), Hedwig Dohm (1831-1919), Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861-1937), Edith Stein (1891-1942), Gerda Walther (1897-1977), Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919) and Clara Zetkin (1857-1933), as well as translations of Germaine de Staël (1766-1817) by Dalia Nassar. See reviews here and here, or read the Wikipedia article here.
~find it on goodreads~
Poetic Fragments
Karoline von Günderrode’s second anthology, Poetic Fragments, was published in 1805 under the pseudonym “Tian.” The complete collection is translated here into English for the first time. My introductions highlight the philosophical significance of the texts, especially their unique consideration of metaphysics, death, religion, power, and gender. The dramas “Hildgund” and “Muhammad, the Prophet of Mecca” are two of Günderrode’s most important works for her accounts of agency, recognition, and the status of women. The poems “Piedro,” “The Pilgrims,” and “The Kiss in the Dream” reflect themes of erotic longing and union with the divine, and outline Günderrode’s radical reimagining of death. Part of the SUNY Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy.
~find it on goodreads~
Articles & Book Chapters
“Karoline von Günderrode’s Responses to Kant on Knowledge and Bildung.” Symphilosophie: International Journal of Philosophical Romanticism. Volume 6: Romanticism and Its Kantian Legacy (2024).
“Karoline von Günderrode.” In The Oxford Handbook of Nineteenth-Century Women Philosophers in the German Tradition. Ed. Kristin Gjesdal and Dalia Nassar. New York: Oxford, 2024.
“Earth, Spirit, Humanity: Community and the Nonhuman in Karoline von Günderrode’s ‘Idea of the Earth.’” In Romanticism and Political Ecology. Ed. Kir Kuiken. Romantic Praxis Circle: 2024.
“Knowledge, Faith and Ambiguity: Hope in the Work of Novalis and Karoline von Günderrode.” In Hope and the Kantian Legacy: New Contributions to the History of Optimism. Ed. Anna Ezekiel and Katerina Mihaylova. London: Bloomsbury, 2023.
“Art.” In The Palgrave Handbook of German Idealism and Poststructuralism. Ed. Tilottama Rajan and Daniel Whistler. 239–258. Palgrave Macmillan, 2023.
“Through Consciousness Parted from Dream: Alternative Knowledge Forms in Karoline von Günderrode.” In The Being of Negation in Post-Kantian Philosophy. Ed. Gregory S. Moss. 163–180. Dordrecht: Springer, 2023.
“Revolution and Revitalisation: Karoline von Günderrode’s Political Philosophy and Its Metaphysical Foundations.” British Journal of the History of Philosophy 30.4. Special Issue on Post-Kantian Practical Philosophy, ed. James A. Clarke and Gabriel Gottlieb (2022; preprint 2020): 666–686.
“Women, Women Writers, and Early German Romanticism.” In The Palgrave Handbook of German Romantic Philosophy. Ed. Elizabeth Millán, 475–509. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.
“Narrative and Fragment: The Social Self in Karoline von Günderrode.” Symphilosophie: International Journal of European Romanticism 2 (2020): 65–90. Translated into Spanish by Eduardo Blanco as “Narrativa y fragmento. El Yo social en Karoline von Gunderrode.” Granos de Polen19 (Dec 2024).
“Death in Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806).” Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. Ed. Mary Ellen Waithe and Ruth Hagengruber. Paderborn University. September 2019.
“Life in Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806).” Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. Ed. Mary Ellen Waithe and Ruth Hagengruber. Paderborn University. September 2019.
“Love in Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806).” Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. Encyclopedia of Concise Concepts by Women Philosophers. Ed. Mary Ellen Waithe and Ruth Hagengruber. Paderborn University. September 2019.
“Novalis (Georg Philipp Friedrich von Hardenberg) (1772–1801).” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2017 [2012].
“Sincerity, Idealization and Writing with the Body: Karoline von Günderrode and Her Reception.” Aufrichtigkeitseffekte. Signale, soziale Interaktionen und Medien im Zeitalter der Aufklärung. Ed. Simon Bunke and Katerina Mihaylova, 275–290. Rombach, 2016.
“Metamorphosis, Personhood, and Power in Karoline von Günderrode.” European Romantic Review 25.6 (2014): 773–791.
“A Human Cry: Nietzsche on Affirming Others’ Pain.” Philosophy and Social Criticism 40:9 (November 2014): 913–930.
“Power, Relativism and Society in Zarathustra’s ‘Of the Thousand and One Goals.’” CrossCurrents: Comparative Responses to Global Interdependence. Proceedings from the 2011 Uehiro CrossCurrents Philosophy Conference. Ed. Ian Sullivan, Laura Specker and Cindy Scheopner. 117–126. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2013.
“Trope, Truth, and Transcendence: Creativity in Nietzsche’s and Novalis’ Theories of Language.” Philosophy Study 2.10 (2012).
Guest Blog Posts
“An Essential Romantic: On Dorothea Veit-Schlegel.” Genealogies of Modernity. 3 November 2021.
“Philosophy in Letters [Rahel Varnhagen].” Genealogies of Modernity. 3 March 2021.
“The Forgotten Young Hegelian [Bettina Brentano-von Arnim].” Genealogies of Modernity. 14 January 2021.
“The Woman at the Heart of German Romantic Philosophy [Karoline von Günderrode].” Genealogies of Modernity. 10 December 2020. Translated into Spanish by Sofia Batko as “Mujeres en el corazón de la filosofía romántica alemana.” Rumor de las Multitudes. ElSaltoDiario.com, 5 October 2021.
“Discovering the Women at the Heart of Philosophy.” Genealogies of Modernity. 28 October 2020. Translated into Spanish by Sofia Batko as “El descubrimiento de las mujeres en el corazón de la filosofía.” Rumor de las Multitudes. ElSaltoDiario.com, 2 March 2021.
Translations
Philosophical Fragments, by Karoline von Günderrode. Ed. and trans. Anna C. Ezekiel. New York: Oxford University Press, forthcoming November 2025.
With Katerina Mihaylova. “Between Need and Permission: The Role of Hope in Kant’s Critical Foundation of Moral Faith.” By Günter Zöller. In Hope and the Kantian Legacy: New Contributions to the History of Optimism. Ed. Katerina Mihaylova and Anna Ezekiel. Bloomsbury, 2023.
“Between Faith and Reason: Is J. H. Tieftrunk’s Concept of Hope a Postulate?” By Ingomar Kloos. In Hope and the Kantian Legacy: New Contributions to the History of Optimism. Ed. Katerina Mihaylova and Anna Ezekiel. Bloomsbury, 2023.
“Karoline von Günderrode: Selected Notes.” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 62–84. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Bettina Brentano-von Arnim: Selections from Die Günderode.” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 85–121. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Hedwig Dohm: Selected Texts (1898–1912).” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 122–153. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Lou Andreas-Salomé: Selections from The Erotic (1910).” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 177–205.New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Rosa Luxemburg: ‘Wage Labor’ (1925).” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 206–240. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Clara Zetkin: Selected Speeches and Writings (1889–1932).” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 154–176. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Edith Stein: Selections from The Problem of Empathy (1917).” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 242–272. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
“Gerda Walther: Selections from A Contribution to the Ontology of Social Communities (1922).” In Women Philosophers in the Long Nineteenth Century: The German Tradition. Ed. Dalia Nassar and Kristin Gjesdal. 273–310. New York: Oxford University Press: 2021.
Poetic Fragments, by Karoline von Günderrode. Translated and with Introductory Essays by Anna C. Ezekiel. Albany, New York: SUNY Press, 2016.
Short Translations
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Muhammad’s Dream in the Desert.'” Trail of Crumbs. October 2021. Reprinted in Synkrētic 2 (June 2022): 133-144.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Antiquity, and Modernity.'” Trail of Crumbs. March 2021.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Valorich.'” Trail of Crumbs. March 2021.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Musa.'” Trail of Crumbs. January 2021.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘A Persian Tale.'” Symphilosophie: International Journal of European Romanticism 2. 2020.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘The Apparition.'” Trail of Crumbs. November 2020.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Don Juan.'” Trail of Crumbs. October 2020.
Interviews & Presentations
“Philosophy in the Spotlight with Anna Ezekiel: A Discussion on Karoline von Günderrode.” Philosophy in the Spotlight. Interview by Christopher Satoor. YouTube. 8 April 2022.
“An Introduction to Karoline von Günderrode.” New Narratives in Philosophy. Ed. Lisa Shapiro. YouTube. 1 April 2021.
“Philosopher File: Anna Ezekiel on Günderrode, Identity, and Doing Philosophy Differently.” Looking for Wisdom. Interview by Will Buckingham. Text. 14 January 2021.
Short Articles on My Blog
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘The Prisoner and the Singer.’” Trail of Crumbs. 8 May 2024.
“Günderrode’s Notes: Where Did They Come From?” Trail of Crumbs. 9 April 2024.
“Poems in Günderrode’s Notebooks and Their Sources.” Trail of Crumbs.1 December 2021.
“Why We Should Read Günderrode as a Philosopher.” Trail of Crumbs. 29 December 2020.
“Why I Don’t Want to Talk About Günderrode’s Suicide.” Trail of Crumbs. 17 November 2020.
“Philosophy and Genre.” Trail of Crumbs. 6 October 2020.
Short Introductions to Translations
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Muhammad’s Dream in the Desert.'” Trail of Crumbs. October 2021. Reprinted in Synkrētic 2 (June 2022): 133-144.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Antiquity, and Modernity.'” Trail of Crumbs. March 2021.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Valorich.'” Trail of Crumbs. March 2021.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Musa.'” Trail of Crumbs. January 2021.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘The Apparition.'” Trail of Crumbs. November 2020.
“Karoline von Günderrode, ‘Don Juan.'” Trail of Crumbs. October 2020.
Fine Arts Posts on My Blog
“Shirking Your Responsibilities.” Trail of Crumbs. 9 February 2021.
“Untitled Painting (Günderrode, the unknown).” Trail of Crumbs. 15 December 2020.
“Friedrich’s Mountain, Botched Romance.” Trail of Crumbs. 2 November 2020.
“There is an infinite force, an eternal life, that is everything that is, that was and will become, that engenders itself in mysterious ways, that remains eternal during all change and dying”
Karoline von Günderrode
ACEzekiel 