ABSTRACT
Kierkegaard rarely wrote his name in the books he owned. He did, however, sign two books he purchased during a trip to Berlin,1 and one other. Christian Winther’s Sketches appears to have had especial significance for Kierkegaard. Not only did he sign his name in the book, but as Nicolaj Bøgh (1843-1905) tells us, Kierkegaard often carried it in the inner pocket of his coat.2 One can, of course, only speculate on the apparent significance this particular book had for Kierkegaard, but the first poem in the collection is particularly interesting in light of Kierkegaard’s relationship to Regine Olsen. The poem is titled “Two Lovers” and describes the faithfulness of a young woman to a young man despite his eventually abandoning her. The poem does not tell us why the young man leaves but suggests in his sitting quietly next to her during his clandestine visits that there is something profound that both draws him to her and forces his inexplicable leave-taking. If there is something reminiscent in the poem of the relationship between Kierkegaard and Regine Olsen, Winther’s poetry in general seems to have touched Kierkegaard at a deep and personal level. While Kierkegaard never openly claimed such intimate value for Sketches, the connection of Winther’s poetry to Regine’s and Kierkegaard’s relationship occurs repeatedly throughout the journals and his writings.
