“Dann ich auch der gůten Gesellen einer bin die man die freyen Knaben nennet.”

Abstract

Abstract This article reinterprets the alleged self-portrayal of the early modern author Michael Lindener (* between 1520 and 1530, † 1562) in his Schwanksammlung Katzipori (1558) by revealing its fictional character. Scholars read the text as the autobiography of a morally despicable bon vivant. Against this line of interpretation, this article proposes a radical distinction between author and narrator, showing how Lindener ironically undermines the well-established canon of poetical rules of his time while portraying himself as the mischievous libertine Compan.