Friedrkh Martin Bodenstedt, a German author born at Peine in Hanover, April 22,1819. He studied at Gottingen, Munich, and Berlin, and in 1840 became private tutor at Moscow, in the family of Prince Galitzin. While in this position, which he retained until 1844, he published two volumes of poetry. He was next for a short time at Tiflis in charge of a school and professor in the gymnasium, and in 1845 set out upon travels through the Crimea, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, and Greece. The result of his observations was published in Volkerdes Kaukasus (2 vols., Frankfort, 1848,1855) and Tausend und ein Tag im Orient (2 vols., Berlin, 1850; 4th ed., 1864). These two works were the foundation of his reputation. He was afterward engaged for several years in journalism, and in 1854 took up his residence at Munich and lectured as professor in the university, at first upon the Slavic languages and literatures, and from 1858 upon the old English literature. He has translated from the Russian the poems of Lerraontoff (2 vols.) and Pushkin (3 vols.), and from the English Shakespeare's sonnets (1802), and written Shafopear's Zeitgenouen und ihre Werke (8 vols., Berlin, 1858-'60). The most brilliant of his original compositions was the Lieder des Mirza Schaffy (Berlin, 1851; 30th ed., 1870). These songs were long erroneously supposed to be translations from the Persian, and have been rendered into almost all the languages of Europe. Among his other publications are Demetrius (1856), Gedichte (3d ed., Berlin, 1859), Epieche Dichtungen (1862), and Konig Authoir's Brautfahrt (1860). The last two are dramas.

He is now (1873) engaged with others in making a complete translation of Shakespeare.