DENIS, MICHAEL Austrian poet, was born at Scharding on the Inn, on Sept. 27, 1729. He was brought up by the Jesuits, entered their order, and in 1759 was appointed profes sor in the Theresianum in Vienna. In 1784, after the suppression of the college, he was made second custodian of the court library, and seven years later became chief librarian. He died on Sept. 29, 1800. Michael Denis is best remembered as the translator of Ossian (1768-69; also published together with his own poems in 5 vols. as Ossians and Sineds Lieder, 1784). His Sammlung kiirz erer Gedichte aus den neuern Dichtern Deutschlands, 3 vols. 1762-66), introduced current North German literature to Aus trian readers.
A selection of his poetry edited by R. Hamel will be found in vol. 48 (1884) of Kurschner's Deutsche Nationalliteratur. His Literar ischer Nachlass was published by J. F. von Retzer in 18o2 (2 vols.) . See P. von Hofmann-Wellenhof, Michael Denis (i88i).