Frederik Ludvig Liebenberg

Indeed, young students, including Jacob Voltelen, Georg Brandes and Otto Borchsenius, were attracted by his kind disposition, his reliability and his unfailing love for literature.

Celebrating his completion of 20 years at the university in 1848, Peter Heise composed a cantata for which Jens Christian Hostrup wrote the words, and Kristian Mantzius made a speech.

On the occasion of the Oehlenschläger anniversary in 1879, Brandes delivered a cordial speech to his friend Liebenberg while Sophus Schandorph sang a wonderful song he had written for him.

Liebenberg's warm affection for youth probably also explains the enthusiasm and interest with which he followed the latest developments in Danish politics and intellectual life, though perhaps he went further than was customary for a man of his age.

Later, from October 1855 to June 1857, he translated the short stories of Adelheid Reinbold (nom de plume Franz Berthold) and published them in installments in a paper entitled Avertissementstidende or "Advertising Times".

Since abandoning his theology studies, he immediately embarked on his task of publishing the neglected works of Adolph Wilhelm Schack von Staffeldt whose Samlede Digte or Collected Poems appeared in two volumes in 1843.

The great lyric poet was regarded almost as rediscovered and received a eulogy in Johan Ludvig Heiberg's Intelligensblade which would have been more appropriate for Staffeldt during his lifetime.

These works, however, led to unpleasant consequences for Lieberberg who was accused of coming close to infringing the rights of publisher E.L. Thaarup and his brother.

In his later years, Liebenberg repeatedly updated his editions covering the works of Holberg, Schack Staffeldt and Oehlenschläger, always demonstrating great interest for them and sometimes adding new commentaries.

Some have maintained that it would have been more useful if Liebenberg had discussed the actual texts of Holberg's plays, including the great master's own carelessness in his writings which led him to introduce corrections of his own.